Next on Gator Wire’s annual position preview series are the big guys that anchor the trenches and most importantly, protect the quarterback. That’s right. We’re taking a look at the offensive tackles.
Florida’s offensive tackles are arguably the most important players on the offensive side of the ball. They need to do their jobs if they want to have any success through the passing or ground game.
There are some familiar pieces for the Gators such as Austin Barber but also some new faces like Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson .
Nonetheless, this should be a better OT group for the Gators than last season.
Let’s take a look at what Florida has in store this season with their OTs. Check out Gators Wire’s other position previews for the 2024 season below.
Starting Left Tackle: No. 58 Austin Barber (R-Jr.)
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Barber returns as a veteran anchoring this Florida Gators offensive line.
As he comes up on his fourth season with the Gators, Barber is hoping for a healthy 2024 year. Last season, the redshirt junior missed four games due to ankle and arm injuries. But even when he did play, it wasn’t as if he was fully healthy either.
The 6-feet-7-inches, 314-pound left tackle looks to make his presence known on Florida’s offensive line.
Left tackle is arguably the most important position on the offensive line because it protects quarterback Graham Mertz ‘s blind side. Florida needs to have Barber healthy this season if they hope to have success protecting the quarterback.
Starting Right Tackle: No. 65 Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (R-Sr.)
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
Holding down the opposite end of the offensive line is Crenshaw-Dickson, the starting right tackle.
Crenshaw-Dickson is entering his first season with the Gators after transferring in the offseason from San Diego State. The redshirt senior started nine games last season with the Aztecs and played both the right and left tackle positions. So he has experience with the left side of the line as well.
During his collegiate career with San Diego State, Crenshaw-Dickson played 1,187 snaps in pass protection and gave up just six sacks and averaged 15 QB pressures per season, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). His PFF run-blocking grade was named “above average” in 2023 with a grade of 69.4 out of 100.
Backup Tackle: No. 57 Devon Manuel (R-Jr.)
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Like Crenshaw-Dickson, Devon Manuel was a transfer that the Gators were able to acquire in the offseason.
Manuel transferred from Arkansas after playing nine games last season and started four of those games at left tackle. According to PFF, Manuel had the second-best graded run block on the Razorbacks last season and had a ton of snaps (417) under his belt.
Given the history with injuries on this offensive line, Manuel’s experience, especially at the SEC level, is valuable and he adds some much-needed depth at the OT position.
Reserves: No. 75 Kamryn Waites (R-Jr.), No. 53 Bryce Lovett (R-Fr.), No. 63 Caden Jones (R-Fr.)
UAA Communications/Ashley Ray
Kamryn Waites is going into his third season with the Gators and he is also a guy who provides some experience and depth. Waites played in every SEC matchup as a reserve and started at RT in the last two games of the 2023 season.
Bryce Lovett is a redshirt freshman who has yet to see game action as a collegiate athlete. But that will likely change fairly soon. Lovett was ranked a four-star recruit by Rivals and signed with the Gators in 2022.
Caden Jones is another redshirt freshman who is still in development. On3 had Jones ranked as a four-star recruit out of high school and head coach Billy Napier was such a fan of him that he recruited him when he was in the 10th grade.
Freshmen: No. 68 Fletcher Westphal (Fr.) and No. 55 Mike Williams (Fr.)
Fletcher Westphal and Mike Williams are the two freshmen in this OT group.
Westphal is a four-star recruit out of Tuscarora High School in Leesburg, Virginia. He was ranked as a top-5 player in the state of Virginia and was invited to play in the 2024 All-American Bowl.
Williams was a three-star prospect and went to Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He was the No. 17-ranked recruit in the state of Maryland by 247Sports .
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