Former Gator guard O’Cyrus Torrence has signed an extension with the Buffalo Bills for four years, $78.4 million, with $46 million guaranteed. The deal makes him the 7th-highest-paid guard in the NFL. The deal will keep him under contract with Buffalo through the 2030 season.
It’s another selling point for the Florida logo, and it is also a reminder of the hope Gator fans had early in the Billy Napier era for the offensive line.
Former Florida OL O’Cyrus Torrence gets a huge pay day
Torrence came to Gainesville en tow with Napier from Louisiana. Originally a low-tier three-star prospect, Torrence had three solid years with the Rajun Cajuns before he transferred to Florida for his senior year when Napier took the job. But Florida fans didn’t know what to expect as the jump from the Group of Six to the Power Four isn’t always a smooth transition.
The fears were calmed right away as Torrence played 689 snaps, gave up just eight pressures, and did not give up a single sack. In fact, he finished his college career without giving up a single sack. He had a PFF grade of 88.0 and was named an All-American after the 2022 season.
O’Cyrus Torrence’s rise
- High school: Lightly recruited prospect from Louisiana
- Louisiana: Three seasons, earned All-Sun Belt honors
- Florida (2022): Consensus All-American, 88.0 PFF grade, no sacks or QB hits allowed
- 2023 NFL Draft: Second round, No. 59 overall to Buffalo
- 2026 extension: Four years, $78.4 million
- Guaranteed: More than $46 million
- NFL guard salary rank: No. 7 by average annual value
- Under contract through: 2030
He wound up getting drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Florida fans were optimistic, feeling that if Napier was able to build up guys like Torrence from scratch, imagine what could happen once he started getting higher-tier prospects.
We know how that story went.
Phil Trautwein now inherits the challenge Napier never solved
Among the countless notable things from the Billy Napier era was the fact that he used two of his paid assistant coach slots on the offensive line. That allocation of resources never paid off as Florida’s offensive line was average at best and a group of traffic cones at their worst. Napier kept recruiting similar three-star projects like Torrence but never could find a similar type of unicorn. Ironically, Jake Slaughter, Florida’s other All-American along the offensive line during Napier’s time in Gainesville, was a Dan Mullen holdover.
Moving forward, Florida fans have put a ton of faith in new offensive line coach Phil Trautwein, who helped produce numerous NFL prospects during his time as the offensive line coach at Penn State.
And what Gator fans are counting on is that a guy like Torrence is the norm rather than a one-off surprise.
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