The Gators got plenty of players that transferred into the program this offseason after Billy Napier took over. There may not be any transfer bigger, literally, than OL O’Cyrus Torrence.
Torrence wasn’t a very highly sought out recruit coming out of high school. He was a three star recruit, ranked as the the 145th OT in the country, and 1697th overall.
He quickly made a name for himself at Louisiana however, switching to the guard position and bullying every lineman who lined up across from him.
At 6’5”-332, you won’t find many D-lineman with the size or strength to handle him, even in the SEC. Now that he’s in the Gators’ strength and conditioning program, we can expect him to put on even more muscle mass before he takes the field in The Swamp.
His strength is already undeniable. He can move any defender at will, and is one of the nation’s best at creating holes for the running back.
The newest member of the Florida Gators offensive line is a mauler. OG O’Cyrus Torrence taking on 90 here. pic.twitter.com/dQKy3fqqeD
— Brandon Carroll (@itsbcarroll) January 17, 2022
Last year at Louisiana, Torrence ranked 2nd in PFF grade and run blocking, according to PFF College.
New @GatorsFB O'Cyrus Torrence last season with Louisiana:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 15, 2022
😤 88.2 PFF Grade (2nd among G5 Guards)
😤 89.4 Run Blocking Grade (2nd) pic.twitter.com/PWvy9SOYPb
Torrence also holds the current title for most snaps as a guard since 2019 without surrendering a sack, at 1,091. Aside from the fact that the amount of snaps is in the thousands, not giving up a sack throughout his entire career to this point is remarkable.
ESPN gave him the honor of being named a way too early preseason All-American, which speaks to the high expectations that the sports world is putting on him for his first year as a Gator.
O’Cyrus will benefit from lots of familiarity in Gainesville, even though it’s his first year. He keeps his head coach in Billy Napier, his former teammate and fellow guard at Louisiana Kamryn Waites also transferred to the Gators, and he’ll be blocking for the same running back he had in the Bayou, Montrell Johnson.
Torrence is going to bring a degree of power that will be a major boost to the Gators O-line. With UF likely going run heavy this year on offense, look for him to get some serious national attention as the year progresses.
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