Signing Day Capsule: In-state OL Jake Slaughter

Name: Jake Slaughter

Class: 2021

Position: Center

Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 315 pounds

Location/School: Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic

Committed to: Florida Gators

Rivals Ranking: 5.7 three-star

"I'm 30 minutes from Gainesville, I grew up watching a lot of Florida football. It's a cool experience. Coach Hevesy is great; I've known him for a real long time.

"Florida is a great school, obviously. They're always a national contender. They're a big-time school in the SEC. Big stage, a lot of good football. Hevesy, he's a good coach. He develops a lot of guys. He has a young o-line right now. He's doing his thing."

With Slaughter, who has experience all along the offensive front, this is a young man who does a nice job of getting to the second level and playing in space. He is equipped with a high football IQ and accomplishes his tasks at a high level.

You also have to take notice of Slaughter's commitment level on the field. He is always on the lookout for contact and consistently plays to the whistle no matter where the ball is on the field. More often than not, he's running down the field with his ball carrier in hopes of delivering a play-changing block. He's fairly agile for someone of his physical makeup and doesn't possess a whole lot of bad weight either.

In terms of improvement, Slaughter can continue to work on exploding out of his stance. He possesses a fairly decent get-off, but can be more consistent with exploding out of his stance and maintaining leverage. His game should take that next leap as he continues to strengthen up his frame, and he will also have one of college football's best in Nick Savage to guide him through that transition.

Slaughter could play either interior position once relocating to the Swamp, but will more than likely play center under John Hevesy. He is at his best when leaning on defenders and creating lanes for his running back, and fits the mold of a throwback-type offensive lineman who can pull around either side and reach the second level. He is also very coachable, and when you consider that trait along with his football IQ, versatility in the trenches and lifelong desire to become a Gator, it's not difficult understanding why UF welcomed him into the class. These are kids you love to have in your locker-room.

There is no hurry to push Slaughter along. It's rare when a true freshman offensive lineman sees the field to begin with, but there is no doubting Slaughter's best days are ahead of him. He could become an intriguing player once he puts it all together 2-3 years from now.

Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.