We here at Hail Florida Hail have had our fair share of critiques for Florida Football's approach in the transfer portal. The Gators barely took anyone in the portal after claiming they were going to be aggressive.
But we would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge Florida was able to retain some key guys they would have had to otherwise replace, and keeping Jake Slaughter, in particular, was a massive boon to Florida's 2025 chances.
Florida Football: Slaughter House
Slaughter was an All-American last season, and the belief was that he could easily turn pro and enter the NFL Draft. As it turned out, he had other plans, and he opted to stick around in Gainesville for one more season.
Slaughter will enter the 2025 season as the top-rated returning center in the country, according to Pro Football Focus, and he will anchor an offensive line that returns four of their five starters from 2024.
Slaughter was dinged for just one sack in 2024 and nine total pressures on the QB. In Florida's final two games against FSU and Tulane, he allowed zero pressures.
For Florida specifically, having Slaughter back for one more go around does create a bit of a security blanket for DJ Lagway. And as much as we muse about the playcalling of Florida's offense, Lagway has the ability to create some things on his own as long as he has time. Combine that with a potentially potent running game, and the Gators have a pathway to move the ball in 2025.
Had Slaughter left, the Gators would probably have gone with Roderick Kearney as their center in 2025. Kearney is a former top 125 prospect who will take the mantle in time, but it's always more comforting to have a sure thing rather than an unknown.