FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- John Hevesy is losing his general.

The Gators co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach is forced to say goodbye to his group's leader and veteran after Monday night.

"I’m going to miss him," said Hevesy. "He aligns everyone and gets everyone set. He did a great job this year obviously with four new starters in there with keeping everyone calm and making sure they’re going in the right place. Just doing an unbelievable job with communication.”

"We got a group of seniors that have been playing together for a long time now, one last time to play as a team and putting on those uniforms," Buchanan told Gators Territory on Friday. "Repping the Gators and repping the Gator Brands - it means so much more."

Buchanan has done a great job repping the brand throughout his Gators career, helping guide a young group in 2019. But now it's time to turn the page and start a new legacy at center.

"Brett Heggie’s played center before, so it’s an opportunity in those developmental practices and same thing going in the offseason,” said Hevesy. “You can never have enough guys that can snap. You can put guys at guard and tackle, but you can’t have too many centers. For me, it’s about teaching them all the skills that they’re all going to learn the rest of the offseason.”

"There is a variety of guys," said Buchanan on who can step up behind him next season. "When you look what it takes in that center position, that leadership and just that intelligence of getting everybody on the right page . You can have Brett Heggie and Ethan White, Kingsley [Eguakun] is another name I throw in there, Richard [Gouraige], a lot of guys I feel can really go out there and be successful. It's just about who wants to do it."

At least Hevesy is not set to have a full rebuilding job in 2020. This season the Florida coach had a tough task in replacing some big names in the trenches with Martez Ivey graduating and Jawaan Taylor entering the draft after his junior season.

This season was filled with growing pains.

"I think there's things (we) need to work on, I think there are things that you don't start seeing until it's pinpointed out on there," Hevesy said. "For me even those four new guys, where's their deficiency? You don't always see it through spring practice, through fall camp, because there's so much installation going on."

Obviously ranking No. 120 in the country in rushing offense is definitely not ideal.

To be fair to the linemen, they struggled to produce gaps for their rushers but they allowed Kyle Trask time to pass the ball.

"I think there's things that we need to get better at," Hevesy said. "Obviously we've done a good job of protecting. I think for us to win games -- and like Kyle comes in and Kyle can throw a ball, Kyle does a great job of protection. Kyle's not a runner. Everybody comes in, we're going to run the ball, but Kyle's not a runner. So we're going to always use what we have."

Florida adapted.

“I think the O-Line is one of the closest-knit group of guys on the team,” Trask said Friday morning. “They've really come along. They're one of the hardest workers on the team, as well. Their progression has really showed throughout the season.

“The way this progression has gone with these young guys coming up, I mean, there's a lot of potential for next year for sure."

Trask is correct. Hevesy and company have done a good job of of restoring some of the class imbalance left by former staffs at UF. This season even saw a true freshman line up as a starter on the line with Ethan White stepping up when his number was called.

"They've learned how to like come together as a group," said Buchanan. "We've all learned how to play in that spotlight, in the big games, and just going from one game to another, being able to improve on your technique and fundamentals, and really just get it done."

"I think the group I have is a great group. They have all done a great job of learning things this year," said Hevesy about his freshman class this season.. "Four of the five have been getting a lot of reps and they understand schemes...I talk about the what, how and why and they know why, so I can go back and teach the what and how. They know why they are doing it. I'm looking forward to that."

"I'm truly proud of the offensive line that we've had this year," said Buchanan.

Not only did they bring in several talented linemen in the 2019 class, but they continued to bring in talented players in 2020 - signing four offensive linemen, two of which are already on campus.

"Those are large human beings," said Buchanan of both Josh Braun and Richie Leonard. "I mean, people movers. They are going to be amazing players. It's crazy. My freshman year, five years ago, we had one person come in May. We could early enroll and thats it. Thats crazy that these guys are coming in two days after graduation and coming in hot. Kudos to them, much respect, They are going to be real good."

""When they come back in January, they already know the kids," said Hevesy of his two early enrollees already campus. "They know the offensive line. They know a bunch of the players. They know how to go into the locker room. They know how to get to the training room, they know how to do all those things. Just coming up to the coaches office, know things, see things, it takes a huge burden off of you."

Florida's trenches is in better shape now than at this point last season.

“Now going into this January, I've got 14 guys that understand what's going on, understand what's expected of them fundamentally, technically, assignment wise they've learned a lot of football. Now really it's to bring it back in and start with a foundation and bring it back up," said Hevesy.

"Now each individual has the things that you see week after week, you see, 'OK, we've got to work on this, we've got to work on this to get us functioning all as one.' So to me, it's always the biggest thing is the deficiencies each one of them have that we've got to keep working on to get better as a group."

Better as a group, which means asking the upcoming seniors like Heggie, Jean Delance and Stone Forsythe to step up.

"If you want to move on from here, here's this 12-month contract," said Hevesy. "This time next year where do you want to be, so it goes through everything with your hands, your feet, what you have to do if you want to play beyond this year, here's what you need to work on and focus on, and now it puts the onus on them if they want to go beyond this.”

But before we completely turn the page on the 2019 senior class, Buchanan and company want to complete this class' legacy by beating Virginia in the Orange Bowl on Monday.

It's a chance for him and the senior class to put aside all the obstacles they faced in Gainesville and focus on leaving a lasting impression.

"Football is all about fighting and we have been fighting since we have been here," said Buchanan. "It means a lot just coming out here rebuilding and putting in the work - showing the younger guys the work that it takes in order for you to be successful."