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Position Preview: Veteran trio anchors Florida's interior OL
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- Position Preview: Veteran trio anchors Florida's interior OL
Florida 's interior offensive line is the most settled part of the unit entering the 2026 season.
Knijeah Harris returns as the veteran at left guard after making 25 consecutive starts, while Georgia Tech transfer Harrison Moore is expected to take over for two-time All-American Jake Slaughter at center. Penn State transfer TJ Shanahan Jr. rounds out the projected starting trio at right guard after following offensive line coach Phil Trautwein to Gainesville.
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The Gators also have some dependable depth behind the starters. Roderick Kearney has emerged as the top reserve at guard after a strong fall camp, while Jason Zandamela provides a natural backup option at center. Daniel Pierre Louis remains a developmental piece, and freshmen G'Nivre Carr and Desmond Green give Florida additional long-term upside.
Florida's starting group has plenty of experience, but replacing Slaughter's production and leadership in the middle will be one of the biggest challenges. Moore has already drawn praise from coaches and teammates, while Harris and Shanahan give him veteran support on either side.
Here's a closer look at Florida's interior offensive line heading into the 2026 season.
Check out Gators Wire's other position previews:
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Note:With the new age-based eligibility system in place, player classifications will no longer include redshirt status. For example, a redshirt sophomore (R-So.) listed on the official roster will be considered a junior (Jr.) — freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, 5th year.
Projected Starting Left Guard: No. 77 Knijeah Harris (Sr.)
Harris is the most established starter projection on the offensive line. He's made 25 consecutive starts at left guard over the last two seasons and has 1,511 career offensive snaps. In 2025, he allowed 13 pressures over 375 pass-blocking snaps, improving from 17 pressures over 335 the year before. PFF gave him a 63.4 run-blocking grade last season, down from 72.4 in 2024.
He's proven himself as a productive pass protector and run blocker in separate seasons but has yet to put everything together in the same year. Harris has long been praised for his maturity, and now he's the veteran starter on the line. Florida will lean on him as an anchor this year.
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Projected Starting Center: No. 52 Harrison Moore (Jr.)
Moore has the biggest shoes to fill on the offensive line, replacing two-time All-American Jake Slaughter at center. He followed Buster Faulkner from Georgia Tech after starting eight games at center last season. He played 427 snaps at center and 254 at left guard over 11 games.
Across 405 career pass-blocking snaps, PFF credits him with zero sacks allowed. He gave up 15 pressures over 332 pass-blocking snaps last year and posted a 66.7 run-blocking grade. Faulkner called him "one of the toughest guys I've ever had a chance to coach," and Moore has emerged as the vocal leader of the position group. Both quarterbacks — Tramell Jones Jr. and Aaron Philo — have praised him as well, with Jones comparing him to Slaughter.
"I really don't try to look at it as filling his shoes," Moore said. "I just worry about what I can do to be the best version of myself."
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Projected Starting Right Guard: No. 67 TJ Shanahan Jr. (Sr.)
Shanahan is a former five-star recruit who played 10 games, including five starts, with Texas A&M in 2024. He transferred to Penn State and played in 13 games under Trautwein in 2025, once again starting five games. Shanahan was not penalized over 400-plus snaps with the Nittany Lions and posted a 75.1 pass-blocking grade. Along with Moore, Shanahan may have the strongest presence on Florida's offensive line.
"Offensively, I think you feel TJ Shanahan a lot at the line of scrimmage," Sumrall said. "Those are two guys at the line of scrimmage that you don't have to wonder what the play's going to feel like when they're in there. They'll crack the egg. If there's an egg in the middle of somebody's pads, they'll crack that dang thing."
Shanahan has the combination of leadership and experience needed to bolster the right side of Florida's line, and the coaches appear to have a ton of faith in him.
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Top Interior Reserves: No. 71 Roderick Kearney (Sr.), No. 50 Jason Zandamela (Jr.) and No. 73 Daniel Pierre Louis (So.)
Roderick Kearney
Kearney is a fourth-year player who transitioned from high school tackle into a versatile interior lineman. He's likely the first guard off the bench, who can play either position in case of injury. Kearney held a 67.0 PFF run-blocking grade over 132 offensive snaps last season. Despite being a small sample size, he has more real game experience than the bulk of the reserves in this group.
"I think Rod Kearney's had a really good training camp," Sumrall said. "He's kind of elevated as a guard that I think we can play with and win."
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Trautwein has also praised Kearney as a leader in the room, which makes him a reliable veteran rather than a backup player.
Jason Zandamela
Zandamela is a former blue-chip recruit who signed with USC in 2024 but transferred to Florida after spring practice of his true freshman year. He developed behind Slaughter as a potential replacement and competed with Moore for the starting job this season. Moore's experience ultimately won him the job, but Zandamela is thought of highly in the position room. He's the primary backup at that position, despite only having 31 career snaps.
Daniel Pierre Louis
Pierre Louis signed with Florida in 2025 after flipping from Florida State's recruiting class. He was a consensus three-star interior offensive lineman and ranked as high as the No. 25 interior offensive lineman by Rivals. He has good size at 6-feet-4-inches, 327 pounds, but he has yet to see the field after not appearing in a game as a freshman. At this point, DPL is considered developmental guard depth.
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Freshmen: No. 61 G'Nivre Carr and No. 78 Desmond Green
G'Nivre Carr
Carr is an Ocala native and IMG Academy product with high upside for a freshman interior lineman. ESPN graded him as a four-star recruit and the No. 16 interior offensive lineman. He picked Florida over a long list of Power Four programs, including Alabama , Florida State, Georgia and Miami.
Florida's official roster lists him at 6-feet-4-inches, 311 pounds, giving him the size to play in the SEC. He played right guard and both tackle spots in high school. Carr's opportunity could come sooner than most freshmen, but Florida has good depth on the interior offensive line ahead of him this season.
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Desmond Green
Green is another developmental freshman, but he has a slightly larger frame than Carr. At 6-feet-5-inches, 321 pounds, he has a chance to play tackle at Florida, and he also played some center in high school. Green's biggest strength is his power in the run game, but his pass protection still needs development before he's ready to play in the SEC. Like Carr, Green is unlikely to see the field much this season.
Walk-On Depth: No. 59 Corey Brown (Fr.)
Brown is a walk-on freshman who has a family legacy at Florida. He's the younger brother of Vernell Brown III and cousin of Vincent Brown Jr., both of whom are on the 2026 roster. Florida lists him at 6-feet-1-inch, 295 pounds, which is a bit undersized, but he fits in as an emergency third option at center behind Moore and Zandamela.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Position Preview: Veteran trio anchors Florida's interior OL
