Florida’s offensive line has been one of those hit or miss points of Dan Mullen’s evolving offense.
This offseason, there’s probably going to be a lot more moving around on the line as coach John Hevesy works to find the right spot for each guy.
With center Nick Buchanan gone, Hevesy will have to find a new guy to fill those shoes. In the past, he’s mentioned throwing guard Brett Heggie in at center, as he’s played in that position in the past. After redshirting his freshman year, Heggie has seen significant playing time over the past three years despite battling various injuries.
Another option at center is redshirt junior Tanner Rowell. He came to the Gators in 2016 as a walk-on and sat behind Buchanan on the depth chart at center this past year.
At left tackle, Florida will see the return of Stone Forsythe for his senior season. The redshirt junior has moved around on the line quite a bit, playing in both tackle spots and spending time at guard as well, but Hevesy seems to like him in that left tackle spot the most. Behind him is Richard Gouraige, who will return next season as a redshirt sophomore. Gouraige has also stepped up at the guard position in the past, even earning a start against Florida State.
At left guard, the Gators have a lot of options. Heggie has seen a lot of time in this position but was shifted over to right guard late in the season after Chris Bleich announced his entry into the transfer portal. Freshman Ethan White could work at this position as well, as he got his first career start in this position against Vanderbilt when Heggie wasn’t cleared to play. Both Heggie and White are both guys who can switch over to the other side of center and work in that right guard position. Redshirt sophomore TJ Moore is another guy that Hevesy will have in his arsenal for next season who can play at either guard position as well.
This past season, we saw the most consistency in the right tackle position. Redshirt junior Jean Delance got the start in most games, however, it was often the lines' weakest point during the season.
Incoming for 2020, the Gators will welcome 4-star tackle Issiah Walker Jr., 4-star tackle Joshua Braun, 3-star guard Richard Leonard and 3-star tackle Gerald Mincey. The Gators will also return younger linemen like Michael Tarquin, Riley Simonds, Griffin McDowell and Kingsley Eguakun - all of which can make a case for playing time with a productive offseason and spring.
The problem with the offensive line isn’t a lack of talent or personnel, it’s just a matter of finding the right spot for these guys to come up with the most effective line possible.
