Gators Boast Top 5 OL in SEC, Per Cole Cubelic

The 2025 edition of the Florida Gators seem to be much more talented than the 2024 squad, especially across the offensive line. 

According to ESPN and SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic, the Gators will be walking into next season with a top five offensive line group in the SEC. 

“No. 5 is going to be the Florida Gators,” Cubelic said during his most recent episode of his podcast "Cube Show." “Lot of continuity and lot of feel here.”

One of the biggest factors for placing them this high is because of their depth in the trenches, he said. 

“I think 10 guys that could play,” he said. “Is that 10 No. 1 quality starters on any SEC team? Maybe not. But they can go and get the job done.”

Florida also returns nearly their entire starting five up front from a year ago. They’ll have starting left tackle Austin Barber, left guard Knijeah Harris, First Team All-American center Jake Slaughter, right guard Damieon George and potential starter at right tackle Bryce Lovett back in the orange and blue for next season. 

“You got good experience there all the way around,” Cubelic said. 

Then, head coach Billy Napier will also have the likes of Fletcher Westphal, Kamryn Waites, Rod Kearney, Caden Jones and Devon Manuel off the bench if injuries or inconsistency occurs. 

“You’ve got four, maybe five, guys off the bench that can give you legitimate snaps for this Florida football team,” Cubelic added. 

Another area that Cubelic likes about this unit is the experience he mentioned previously. He expanded on that detail by saying that these guys having that connection built and understanding of the scheme will be very helpful for the Gators offense. 

“They’ve now been in this system for multiple years,” he said. “The guys who came in last year are going to have an extra year of experience and extra feel. I can tell you, when I was at Auburn, we went to a zone scheme before my junior year. Senior year, lot better feel for how it all operated and how we were going to work together.”

Those who fight in the trenches are arguably the most important on the field in this sport. They control the run game and how long a quarterback can hold onto the ball. 

So, it will be important that the Gators offensive line lives up to this ranking or exceeds it if they want to have a chance at the College Football Playoffs in 2025. 

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