Gators OL Joshua Braun's Versatility Could Pay Off Early
It is well known that the Florida Gators have some issues to address upfront. This, in part, is why offensive line coach John Hevesy went out and signed four new members to his unit in the 2020 recruiting haul.
Joshua Braun might be the most important one of them all.
Braun, who stands at a whopping 6-6, 356 lbs., was a long-time Georgia commit before flipping to Florida this past December. His commitment to Georgia was firm until offensive line coach Sam Pittman left his post to take on head coaching duties at Arkansas, and immediately after, Braun was a Gator.
The four-year starter for Suwannee High School (Suwannee, Fla.) was instrumental in the Bulldogs' high-volume rushing attack, which averaged 208.5 yards per game and scored 33 touchdowns on the ground. Playing left tackle, right tackle, left guard, and right guard, Braun is one of the more versatile linemen you can come across as a high school prospect.
And the Gators desperately need help in both facets: Run blocking and offensive line versatility.
Dan Mullen's Gators flipped a switch in 2019 after rushing the ball on nearly 60% of plays in 2018 - when Florida averaged 213.5 yards per game rushing and 5.3 yards per carry. With four new starters across the line and clear issues generating gaps in the run game this past season, the Gators went pass-heavy by throwing the ball on 56.7% of plays. All while Florida's rushing attack combined to average only 130 yards per game, and 4.3 yards per rush.
The issues weren't the play calls or rushing concepts, though. When the Gators ran the ball in 2019, Mullen utilized the same rushing concepts that he had in 2018 and during his time as head coach for Mississippi State. Rather, the run-blocking execution was lacking across the entire line - as noted on tape and by Hevesy himself during the season.
"We've got to keep understanding the whys of why I should be here instead of there. No, it's here's where the defense is playing, here's where we're playing," said Hevesy last October. "Once you start learning that, you've always got to progress to that part because we can't go out there and tell you what to do. Because I know what to do, I know who to go to, but I don't know how to do it, I'm not going to be successful. So it's constantly teaching, teaching, teaching and understanding that teaching is the biggest thing in this game."
Being the son of a four-year offensive tackle for Army and the brother of two Division 1 offensive linemen over the past decade, Braun has been learning the intricacies of offensive line play for as long as he has known the sport.
Pair that knowledge with his run blocking prowess, imposing size, and positional versatility, and Hevesy has a serious talent at his disposal.
While Florida is returning four starters across the offensive line - the opposite of last season - in Stone Forsythe, Richard Gouraige, Brett Heggie, and Jean Delance, none of these linemen should feel comfortable as incumbents when they consider the talent coming in behind them.
Certainly, given their experience, each returning starter and veteran depth pieces - Ethan White, Kingsley Eguakun, and others - have a leg up on all of the incoming freshmen. White should be expected to step up and compete for a starting role as soon as football resumes following the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Braun's résumé - even just as a prospect - speaks for itself, and he should certainly find his way into the mix early on in his career amidst Florida's run blocking issues. Whether it's as a versatile depth piece that can step up across the line, or perhaps even emerging in a starting role, Braun should immediately become a valued member of Florida's offensive line.
