He's pretty darn close to the average NFL Center size. No reason to move him from center, in my opinion. https://hortonbarbell.com/average-height-weight-of-nfl-players-by-position/
The question is, size versus athleticism. I do not know the answer, or the original answer, which is, what would Plan B (or C) be the next season?
I am not excited by Slaughter, but he is solid. Kearney, if keeping the athleticism while gaining weight, is our most athletic OL in MANY years. He has to get up to speed. He needed size before playing. Among him, Harris, Waites, Williams and George we should be more than adequate to exceed what the OG were doing last year. With a healthy LT next year we should be way ahead of last year if we are getting good development by the plethora of OL coaches.
Geez O’ Pete, this is the most absurd thread I’ve ever read in Swamp Gas. That on3 article is just pitiable, yet Gator fans grovel in it… Chris Doering hit the nail on the head when he stated “our fanbase has become the worst. “ For the life of me I don’t understand the constant desire to ignorantly bellyache about the OL. I suggest reading Gatory Country’s article about the 2024 OL and a couple threads about it. I started one of them. Here they are: Offensive Line Room Cover Story | Swamp Gas Forums Projected OL DL/Edge and OL Analysis with Portal Needs | Swamp Gas Forums For those that just want to bellyache and not read GC’s OL material. I’ll follow up with a short synopsis for OC, OG and OT.
Just a curiosity in response to @tegator80 bringing up a concern about athleticism. I want the best five on the field.
For on3 to state the Gators lost their “starting center” is factually bankrupt. It just fits their agenda to be hypocritical, and Gator fans loved it- SMH. The facts are Slaughter started twice as many games as Eguakun, played almost three times the saps and was a much better player in 2023. He’s a top ten returning center in all of college football in 2024… So yeah, let's bellyache about that- SMH Yes, the Gators lost their two starting OGs to the portal, and the coaching staff hardly cared. Sure it would have been nice to have one or both of them back, but they may not have played if they did come back. Just checkout what Leonard’s dad had to say about his son’s NIL money at UF. CBN recruit's Harris, Williams and Kearney are set to compete for the two OG spots this spring. They were set to take over the spots regardless who returned at OG. The talent here is exceptional. RFR Lovett is also competing for a 2-deep spot at OG along with OT crossovers Waites and George. And, as pointed out in GC's 2024 OL article, if the two OT transfers take both starting spots, Barber could start at OG. We’ll see.
How's there concern, is it a white thing? I thought he was athletic, I don't know. I do know he was athletic enough to be one of the best OCs in CFB.
The OT spot is so much stronger in January 2024 than it was in January 2023. A year ago the top four OTs were Barber, Goodwin, Waits and George… Very little experience in that group. Then Waites blows an achilles and Goodwin’s mother gets sick (god bless) and leaves school. CBN scrambled and brought in Hudson for depth. Barber ended up missing significant time with injuries leaving the OT spots a complete mess in 2023. This was the issue with the OL last year. Now in 2024, Barber returns as a starter and CBN brought in two other starting OTs, BCD and Manuel; one of the top returning OTs in the SEC. This is a huge upgrade from 2023... I just don't understand how this isn't evident to anyone paying attention. This spring RFR Jones is there, too. He'll be competing for a 2-deep spot along with true FR Fletcher Westphall; he's the highest rated FR OT the Gators signed since Ivey in 2015 or 2016. Unlike Ivey as a FR, Westphal has ready size for CFB and is on campus for S&C and spring before his FR season. For deep depth Waites and George return. Those two were the starting OTs the last two games of 2023 and now look to be 3rd string OTs and swing OGs in 2024. That right there tells you how much better the OTs look in 2024. So, yeah, the OL is gonna be worse next year… SMH I'm worn out. You guys broke me, or it was the power posting- lol... I'm gonna take a break and see what y'all come up with here.
I think if the s&c coach can toughen up the beef and the line coaches will wait until the new guys learn their primary position before trying to cross train them then the line will be tough and the players will know where to block without being confused. The qb took a lot of licks. It can work. Remember Reggie Green and Jason Odom were true freshmen and sos threw them into starting roles out of nesessity against ut. They ended up being great players. Some of these guys might work out the same way. I like our new strength guy.
Actually, you made some good points! So, there's no need to feel deflated. I did not initiate this post to bellyache, and I'm not jazzed by all of the negativity either. When comments get real negative, I usually take a break for awhile. Still, I have some concerns as to how well the line plays as one unit as well as the two's! I will also admit that some good additions to the OL have occurred! BTW, this was a good article that I think you were referring to: What to make of Florida’s offensive line room | GatorCountry.com
Remember how Barber, as a true freshman, gradually took over for Michael Tarquin? He just got better and better as the season progressed. And he was playing well last year until his injury. Having him back healthy will be a huge plus. But here's my concern. For an offensive line to be really good it takes cohesiveness and learning how to work together as a unit, when to switch off blocking assignments, adjusting on the fly without a hitch. Just throwing together a bunch of really good individually talented guys doesn't matter if they don't get quality coaching and learn an almost instinctual reaction to their teammates. You, also, need a center who can read the defense and call out last minute adjustments when necessary. That takes time and a lot of work. The 2023 group was hurt by injuries, no doubt, but they didn't work very well together as a unit and had a lot of breakdowns in blocking assignments. How the 2024 group performs, of course, remains to be seen. As always, hoping for the best, but for an offense to be elite it starts with the O-line.
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Like the defense, it feels as though the OL has nowhere to go but up. Of course, the D has somehow managed to defy that for a few years in a row, so who knows. Not too concerned about the interior. Slaughter went from a liability to arguably our best over the course of the year. OG we don't lack for options, 2 of them have to be decent. OT is the question marks. If this years transfers are better than last year, the OL will be better without question.
