Kingsley Eguakun return should bolster Florida offensive line

Going into a pivotal SEC East showdown against rival Tennessee, Florida could have a huge piece back on its offensive line: starting center Kingsley Eguakun.

Eguakun has missed the first two games while recovering from an injury he sustained midway through fall camp. He’s been held out for close to a month now.

And there’s no overselling how important he is to Florida’s offensive line.

“I mean he started 26 straight games, he’s played in 40 games,” GatorsOnline’s Nick de la Torre said on the Andy Staples On3 show. “This is a quarterback of your offensive line room.”

In other words, it’s a big deal.

The trickle-down effects of having Eguakun unavailable in the starting lineup have been pronounced. De la Torre explained what the shuffle has looked like up front as a result of his absence.

“You had to play a guy in Jake Slaughter who is in his third season and made his first start,” de la Torre said. “Then because of that, you’re playing a guy who I really like and think is going to be a really good player for Florida, Knijeah Harris, but just a true freshman. He’s played left guard, center, right guard.”

The results have been just so-so. The team looked much improved in Week 2 against McNeese but was beat up in the trenches by Utah a week earlier. Penalties and other key mental mistakes plagued the unit.

You’d hope that’s an area where Eguakun would bring some additional stability.

“So I think Florida right now, going into Tennessee, has the healthiest offensive line that they’ve had certainly all season going into Week 3, but also, now you have a couple guys who have more experience than they would have had if Kingsley had been playing those first two games,” de la Torre said. “So I think it’s big for Florida. I don’t know that McNeese is a test and Florida’s offensive line didn’t look great, a bunch of procedural penalties and a holding penalty at crucial times against Utah.

“That’s going to be more of the defensive front seven you’re seeing this week, not last week, no disrespect to the mighty Cowboys from Lake Charles.”

Whether Eguakun can return to the lineup and bolster Florida’s efforts remains a huge question mark. Coach Billy Napier could certainly use the help, still looking for his first coaching win against one of the program’s traditional rivals.