During SEC media days last week, Florida football head coach Jon Sumrall stated that his first-team offensive line remains far from set in both personnel and positional alignment. Still, some contenders for starting roles had begun to emerge throughout the summer.
“I don’t know if we’re settled on the best five, no. I think we’ve got who’s in contention. There’s kind of an above-the-line maybe in the competition right now. It’s mixing and matching, and we’re not done,” Sumrall said. “We’ll go through training camp and continue to work different groupings.”
During his meeting with the press, Sumrall highlighted two Gators on the offensive line who appear to be in the group contending to be starters: junior guard Harrison Moore and redshirt junior guard TJ Shanahan Jr.
Moore is a transfer from Georgia Tech, where he played under new Gators offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, assistant offensive line coach Mike Polly and offensive analyst Emil Ekiyor Jr. Shanahan followed new offensive line coach Phil Trautwein from Penn State to Florida.
“Two transfers that have really set the standard for how we work, Harrison Moore, offensive center from Georgia Tech, and TJ Shanahan, offensive guard from Penn State, have both kind of elevated maybe the rhythm that that room marches to,” Sumrall said.
“Those guys have worked incredibly hard. They have a lot of pride in their craft and what they’re doing. And I’m very direct. When we do something well, I tell our guys we did it well. When we don’t, I let them know it wasn’t good enough.”
Moore is the favorite to start at center for the Gators, but he has position versatility, splitting time between center and left guard. Last season, he logged 427 snaps at center and 254 at left guard.
According to Pro Football Focus, Moore has not allowed a single sack over 405 career snaps in pass protection and has only given up 15 quarterback pressures over 332 pass-blocking snaps. He also earned a 66.7 run-blocking grade last season.
Shanahan is also a versatile interior lineman who has played both guard positions, as well as center. Last season, Shanahan logged 269 snaps at right guard and 147 at left guard
The Gators will also have two-year starter Knijeah Harris returning to the team to play left guard, and will project Shanahan to slide in at right guard for the 2026 season.
The offensive line is trending upwards, as Florida continues to assess the options at the tackle and the depth of each position across the five.
Sumrall praised the offensive line for the progress it has made over the summer, technically and in the weight room, but remains adamant that there is more to prove as everyone settles into their roles.
“We also, through the spring, rolled a lot of different combinations. I think the offensive line takes continuity, time to gel, the cohesion component of playing offensive line as a unit matters. So we were mixing and matching so many different groupings that I don’t know if it was fair to them in the spring to really assess where we’ll play as a whole unit on the O-line come this fall, because we were trying to find out which guys could be swing guys, and by that I mean tackle to guard or left side to right side or which guys can snap,” Sumrall stated.
“So you go out and watch the ones one day and didn’t look like the ones the next day, so we’ll settle on where we will go with who will start, who will be the first five. But that group has embraced the challenge and they’re working incredibly hard and I’m proud of the work they’ve done.”
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Jon Sumrall identifies two rising stars on Florida’s offensive line
Reporting by Michael Trim Jr, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Michael Trim Jr, Gators Wire | USA TODAY Network
