We knew when he announced he was coming back that was huge . . . but this is great to see for him! By: Nick Marcinko -- March 4, 2025 Florida Gators center Jake Slaughter was named the top returning interior offensive lineman in college football entering the 2025 season, according to Pro Football Focus. Ahead of the 2024 season, Slaughter ranked 8th on this list after a breakout 2023 season. Back for his redshirt senior season, Slaughter is as well rounded as they come. The 6’4.5, 308-pound offensive lineman was the only power four center to earn an 80.0 plus grade as a pass blocker and a run blocker, per PFF. Jake Slaughter named top returning interior offensive lineman in college football | GatorCountry.com
Heck of a story. The guy got a lot of hate from UF fans. Now he has a shot at the Ring of Honor. Amazing!
No doubt a wonderful outcome for us on a couple of levels. A) we develop OL, helps with recruiting. B) A fair amount of recruiting impression was formed, I believe, by video of him being pushed way way back at camp drills. I'm one who expected him to not be SEC level. Good win by staff.
I don't remember that happening. Videos like that are rarely posted. What I remember was a lot of bellyaching about him after his first start at Utah. Then people complaining about his size and recruiting ranking. Fans adventually started to make things up to power whine about. Like saying he was run over in games he didn't play in. As I first mentioned, a lot of Gator hate is what I remember.
He had some rough games in first couple starts, which is obviously understandable, but by start 4-5 I thought he was a straight upgrade over Kingsly. Been a rock ever since. GNFP loved to point out his athleticism on plays where he was pulling and picking up CBs on outside runs.
Yeah, with all due respect guys, I’m gonna call BS on the camp video of Slaughter getting pushed around in drills. Y’all remember wrong- The only real bad video I remember of him was his first start at center in Utah. It was a very rough game for him. Even with that game on his record he ended the season as a top ten Power Five OC. The only other bad tape I remember was the 2023 O&B game. The defence was blitzing a lot, odd for the spring game, and the OL struggled in general. Slaughter was good the whole game except for the last play before the game ending FG. He had Sapp lined up over him. He blocked Sapp well enough, then he just fell down. I don’t remember him getting run over. He was squared up and fell. Sapp got pressure on the play… Maybe that’s what you guys are thinking about?!? The only reason I'm doing this is last year there was a lot made up complaining about Slaughter. We had like four or five OL threads last year. Doc’s was the biggest one. That’s where most of the Slaughter hate was posted. It was so bad one poster said Slaughter got run over against UK and UGA when he didn’t play from scrimmage in those two games- lol (two of the four games Egaukun started). What made it really bad is people liked the post- smh. If need be I can find the post and my reply to it. I don’t want to put the poster on blast, he’s a good guy, but it is what it is. In short, I’m thinkin’ this camp video of Slaughter getting pushed back in drills is like him getting run over by UK and UGA in 2023.
Theres one of just one play. It happens, hes an all american. It happens to everyone and he was a hs kid .
I remember a long and somewhat snarky thread about the OL being dangerously shaky, starting about this time last year. As I recall, there was a lot of back and forth on just how badly the OL really did suck and when the TA&M fiasco unfolded, I and a million or so others were burning the current regime down and sowing the ground with salt. Then, suddenly, a funny thing happened on the way to the big hanging and celebratory pool party.
