As Florida’s starting center, Jake Slaughter, suits up for senior night against FSU, the redshirt senior will culminate a five-year journey at the University of Florida, where he oversaw the protection of both quarterbacks Graham Mertz and his successor, DJ Lagway.
Slaughter’s time with the Gators hasn’t been the smoothest path. He has endured two coach firings, most recently with the departure of Billy Napier in October. Despite this, Slaughter has consistently performed, earning All-American first team honors from ESPN, the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus. This year, he was placed on the Lombardi Award Watch List.
This season, the offensive line’s penalties have hampered production. Just in the first four games, the position group accounted for 10 flags. Now, the fouls total 23. The lost yards haven’t escaped Slaughter, one of the leaders in the locker room.
“You see guys on Senior Night, and you always wonder how it’s gonna be,” Slaughter said. “So I’m sure I’ll be emotional. The important thing is the football. So we’re gonna play clean football.”
Florida’s trust in Slaughter on and off the field is apparent. He joined linebacker Myles Graham and Lagway in speaking to the media after the firing of Napier.
As the offense has struggled, Slaughter has tried to focus the attention away from Lagway and toward what the team can control: how the team can better take care of each other and perform. The center has tried to lead by example, emphasizing communication.
“He works the hardest on the field,” lineman Austin Barber said. “He’s smart. He knows what to do. He leads us on the field. He’s the center. He commands it. Everyone listens to him.”
In the five years the two have played together, Barber and Slaughter have shared hotel rooms on the road and forged a bond beyond football.
“He’s going to be one of my best friends for the rest of my life,” Barber said. “He’s going to be stamped in this program for a very long time.”
As the season nears its end, Slaughter will have to set his eyes forward to the NFL. PFF has the center ranked No. 4 in its NFL interior lineman rankings, praising him as “impactful” and “savvy.”
Slaughter said he knew the reality of the team hasn’t lived up to the sky-high preseason expectations, but the growth the team has experienced has been one of his biggest takeaways.
Florida’s last game against FSU provides the team one last chance to play together before seniors like Slaughter depart with hopefully a bonus: spoiling the Seminoles’ chances to make a bowl game.
“I love those guys like family, and it means a lot to us that we get to finish together,” Slaughter said.
Five years ago, Slaughter had committed to going to Florida’s in-state rival, FSU, before he flipped to the Gators. Since then, Florida has split the rivalry, winning half of the games. While he wasn’t as vocal as defensive lineman Caleb Banks in his hatred for his competition, Slaughter reinforced the competitiveness.
“Anytime you play a rivalry game, it’s a big deal,” he said. “It’s bragging rights for a full year.”
