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Florida Gators' top returning player named to award watch list where he should be considered the favorite

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Tyler Forness | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 5:46 PM ET

The offensive line for the Florida Gators have one of the best offensive lines in all of college football. They are returning four of five starters on the line, only having to replace right tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson.

The leader of the offensive line is center Jake Slaughter, and he's arguably the best in the country. He was named to the Rimington Award watch list. Earlier this week, Slaughter was named to The Sporting News' first-team preseason All-American team, and was named to the Walter Camp preseason All-American team as well

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Slaughter was a constant for the Gators across the board last season. He was the leader for the Gators in both pass blocking grade at 82.5 and run blocking grade at 82.1. Last season, he was tremendous across the board. His biggest strength for the Gators was preventing defenders from getting to the quarterback. He allowed just nine pressures in 2024, with only one of them being a sack, and that came against Ole Miss, who arguably had the best defensive line in the nation.

Going into the season, Slaughter is arguably the best center in the country, as his first-team preseason All-American nod from The Sporting News shows. He's going to be huge to help elevate DJ Lagway to the next level, as the quarterback-center relationship is critically important to success.

It's no secret that the offensive line is going to be huge for the Gators' success, and Slaughter is the biggest factor.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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