Former Florida football standout Jake Slaughter has begun his professional career on a high note, earning the starting center job for the Los Angeles Chargers after a strong showing during the preseason — along with an injury that helped clear the path for him.
"Talent, effort, just very, very aware," Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said of Slaughter. "The mind is sharp, snap, pre-snap, to the whistle, the way he understands the position... Very confident in Jake Slaughter being our starting center."
Harbaugh also praised Slaughter's work ethic and talent during the preseason.
"Every time he's been in a game, every time he's had to go in there, he's a football player. He's shown up. He's got the ability to process and his athleticism, his strength, it's all plus-plus."
Slaughter was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft with the 63rd overall pick back in April. Although he had manned the center position with the Gators, he played left guard during the Senior Bowl game and practices in front of NFL scouts; Los Angeles had even toyed with the idea of shifting him to left guard to replace Zion Johnson, who had departed via free agency.
However, after starting center Tyler Biadasz suffered an ACL injury during last Tuesday's joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers, the door opened for him to return to the role in which he excelled at the collegiate level. The Chargers had also anticipated that Slaughter would serve as Biadasz's backup if he failed to secure the starting left guard spot.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 303-pound offensive lineman played a collective 2,145 snaps for the Orange and Blue, taking a redshirt as a true freshman in 2021 before playing in all 13 games the following year primarily in a special teams role. In 2023, he appeared in all 12 games while drawing eight starts at center, allowing two sacks and nine quarterback pressures, while generating a high-quality 78.9 run-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Slaughter took over the full-time starting job at center in 2024, appearing in all 13 games while giving up just one sack and nine pressures while recording another superb run-blocking grade of 80.1. During his final season in Gainesville, the Sparr, Florida, native allowed just one sack and four quarterback pressures over 422 pass-blocking snaps, while generating a career-best run-blocking grade of 80.2.
Ultimately, Slaughter spent 33 of his 51 career collegiate appearances at center — all starts. He earned numerous accolades in the role, including First-Team All-American recognition from the Associated Press in 2024 and Consensus Second-Team All-American status in 2025, as well as First-Team All-SEC honors both years. He was also a finalist for the Rimington Award, an honor annually given to the nation's top center, in 2025.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Former Gator, rookie Jake Slaughter named starting center for Chargers
