In his first press conference after the start of spring practice yesterday, Billy Napier praised Kingsley Eguakun and Austin Barber for their leadership. That should be music to your ears, because they are the only experienced offensive linemen returning.
Florida is replacing, call it three-and-a-half offensive line starters from last year. Richard Gouraige and O’Cyrus Torrence are off to the NFL, and Ethan White and Michael Tarquin transferred to USC. Barber played enough while Tarquin was out hurt and otherwise as a part of the rotation that he gets partial credit as a returning starter.
Even so, that is a lot to replace. The last time Florida had to overhaul its line this much was after it lost four starters heading into 2019. That season’s unit is one of the top candidates for the least effective UF line of my lifetime. Most of the starters returned for 2020 when the unit improved, but that just reinforces the fact that playing together is so important for that position group.
Because of transfers out and past recruiting misses, the Gators had to bring in three offensive line transfers this season. At least two of them are likely to start. The top of the depth chart won’t even have the benefit of having played together in practice before for the simple fact that two or three of the eventual group were at different schools last year.
The larger issue is this one: the 2023 line will have to play better than the 2022 line did in order to replicate the same level of results.
Florida’s offensive lines have enjoyed the benefit of protecting for a mobile quarterback the past two seasons. Mobile quarterbacks tend to take fewer sacks, generally due to a combination of that mobility and the fact they tend to spend less time in the pocket. Their running threat also will often open things up in the run game because they’re one more guy to account for. A defense is more likely to tee off on the core of the offensive formation when it’s not concerned about being burned for 60 yards on a bootleg or rollout.
It doesn’t look likely that they will have that luxury again this fall. The top two quarterbacks in spring practice are Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz and last year’s reserve Jack Miller. The first glimpses of them tossing the ball around the practice field coming on the same day as Anthony Richardson broke records and dropped jaws at the NFL Combine was a stark reminder of how the position is changing from last year to this one.
Both Mertz and Miller are to my eye more spry than was Kyle Trask, who was a, I believe the technical term for it is “big galoot”. A willing runner when called upon, sure, but not shifty or quick by any stretch. I wouldn’t label the guys competing for the top spot right now as shifty or quick either, but they aren’t as plodding.
What they absolutely are not, however, is mobile. They will not burn a defense for 60 yards on a bootleg. They will not give linebackers any pause when it’s a likely rushing down and they fake a keeper after handing off.
Richardson had his own set of issues as a quarterback, which is why after that Combine showing he’s still not everyone’s sure-fire No. 1 overall pick. His limitations even came through in play selection though, and you’d see that in how defenses would often blitz a guy directly into the bootleg lane because AR ran the same bootleg so many times.
But Richardson did avoid some sacks with his athleticism, and in the games when I guess his ankle was feeling better and he carried the ball a fair amount, his running ability could freeze defenders just long enough to get a running back to the second level.
Those kinds of things accrue to the offensive line stats, such as they are, and cover over occasional line problems. Neither Miller nor Mertz can offer that kind of athletic white-out for OL miscues.
The one wild card is that Napier said back on National Signing Day that he would pursue another quarterback in the post-spring transfer window. Undergraduate transfers can put their names into the portal from May 1-15, though they can take all the time they want to pick their destinations. Graduate transfers can drop into the portal any time but for obvious logistical reasons aren’t likely to do so at this point until after their current teams’ spring practice sessions conclude.
In theory, Napier could find a mobile quarterback who’s better than either Miller or Mertz and who could pick up the offense fast enough to start right away. Such a dream scenario would negate the concerns I have today.
It’s possible but not likely, and either way it can’t be counted upon unless some player’s people get in touch with Napier’s people in a way that doesn’t technically break any rules. If Napier knows something, he’s keeping it very close to his vest.
So because the quarterback of 2023 won’t single-handedly erase sacks or draw much attention in the run game, Florida’s 2023 offensive line has a tall task ahead of it. It must get better despite losing an All-American and several other starters.
The line has little margin of error when it comes to achieving excellence, and it has a few weeks here in the spring to make major progress. It’s the most important position to watch in the current practice session.