Who Is Modern Offensive Line U? Florida Finishes Top Three
While every school battles for the right to hold the title of "Position U", Florida has seemingly made its mark in several categories. However, the offensive line is certainly at the top of the list.
While the Gators have not churned many top-rated offensive linemen in the past few years, there have been plenty of gems in the past to earn them third in Sports Illustrated's "Offensive Line U" rankings.
As part of a series, Sports Illustrated came up with its very own grading system for former players of various schools:
Source: https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/04/02/modern-offensive-line-u-based-on-numbers
Researched by Sports Illustrated's Reid Foster and Gary Gramling, SI went through the past 10 years to determine which schools held the most points, given their proprietary grading system.
The teams which were listed above Florida included Notre Dame (69 points) and Wisconsin (68 points). Florida came in at 66 points, only a few points below the top dogs in the race.
Over the past 10 years, Florida has produced several players who went on to create impressive careers throughout their time in the NFL. The most impressive player has been Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey. Pouncey played for the Gators three years from 2007-09. In 2009, Pouncey won the Remington Trophy, awarded to the nation's best center, the first and only Florida player to win the award.
Since being selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Pouncey has gone on to start 121 games and has been awarded All-Pro by the Associated Press two times. He is easily the most decorated former Florida offensive lineman of the past decade.
Other notable players listed, include: center Mike Pouncey (Los Angeles Chargers), right tackle Marcus Gilbert (Arizona Cardinals), left tackle D.J. Humphries (Arizona Cardinals), right tackle Trent Brown (Las Vegas Raiders), right guard Max Garcia (Arizona Cardinals), and center Jonotthan Harrison (New York Jets).
The most recent draftee is now-Jacksonville Jaguars right tackle Jawaan Taylor. Taylor, drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, started 16 games for the Jaguars and has been well on his way to becoming one of the best up-and-coming offensive linemen in the NFL.
The Gators will hope to continue building upon the success they've had in the past, and it begins again this year with young and ascending players such as rising sophomore right guard Ethan White, and rising redshirt sophomore left guard Richard Gouraige.
The rest of Florida's offensive line looks to make progress under the guidance of respected offensive line coach John Hevesy next season. Florida has put emphasis on the line, and eventually, it's bound to pay off.
Below is the entire top 10 of Sports Illustrated's "Offensive Line U" rankings. Do you agree with Florida's place on the list? Let us know in the comments.
1. Notre Dame, 69 points
2. Wisconsin, 68
3. Florida, 66
4. Alabama, 56
5. Ohio State, 54
6. USC, 51
7. Oklahoma, 49
8. Iowa, 44
9. Texas A&M, 41
10. Stanford, 38
