Kingsley Eguakun preparing to start at center

The Florida Gators are tasked with replacing a three-year starter and veteran leader in former center Brett Heggie and didn't have a clear answer heading into spring camp.

John Hevesy tried rotating several players there throughout the spring, including Ethan White, Stewart Reese, Griffin McDowell, Richie Leonard, and Kingsley Eguakun. Spring is the time to get those reps in, especially at center, as Dan Mullen explained.

"We rotate, in spring we rotate a lot of guys through because you've gotta have depth at that position," Mullen said. "The other positions you've gotta block but there's an extra skill involved with the snap at that position so you want to create depth."

While there was a healthy rotation one player is beginning to stand out above the rest. Redshirt sophomore Kingsley Eguakun has played in 14 games during his two seasons at Florida but strictly as a reserve and in limited action. Talking to Dan Mullen you wouldn't know that Eguakun's role has been limited and that isn't the mentality that the young offensive lineman goes to work with.

"He's a guy that really kind of jumped and embraced that role. He's a guy that, 'I'm not here getting reps, I'm not here preparing.' Really, to me, his approach since last spring is, 'I'm here to be the starting center.' I mean he's really approached it with that kind of attitude and mindset and it shows. With the mental aspect that goes with it, the leadership, he's embraced everything that comes with being the center and wanting to go be the starter."

With the 2021 season less than a month away the Gators are really trying to hammer down the starting five on the offensive line. Heading into the 2020 season Ethan White was projected as the starting center before a knee injury sidelined him for the first half of the season, leaving Heggie to take over. However, with Florida looking to get their best five offensive linemen on the field, having white at guard and putting Eguakun at center allows the Gators to shift Stewart Reese to right guard and Josh Braun to right tackle.

The starting offensive line isn't set in stone but early reports out of camp have Eguakun doing everything he needs to do in order to find himself in that starting five.