Buddha once said, “Change is the only constant in life.”

For the Florida Gators and most teams, change is inevitable. For the Gators, however, the changes come in rapid succession, so they can’t find balance right away.

However, the 2024 version of the Gators appears to be a little different than the 2023 version. Despite early defeats, this group seems to roll with the punches. Center Jake Slaughter feels right at home, in the midst of transition and eager to take on the University of Georgia. He expressed his thoughts during the media availability.

Headache

Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams brings nightmare-inducing qualities to the Bulldogs. At 1.80 meters tall and weighing 110 kilograms, Williams turns corners with his reach and explosive speed and makes life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. Slaughter understands what they bring. Furthermore, Georgia as a whole will present diverse views designed to confuse and frustrate.

“He’s a very good player,” Slaughter said of Williams. “He’s got a lot of juice off the edge. That’s definitely part of it, you have to approach it with the right mentality every week and I have to figure it out from the start. We see it in practice when we progress well. Well, it was definitely an advantage to have our defense.”

Roll along

Slaughter steadfastly withstood the loss at Miami and the embarrassment at Texas A&M. Although there are still games to play, Florida’s offense is looking better and playing with more confidence than before. The starting center understands the role that confidence brings and how momentum can change a team’s fortunes.

“I think we’ve made a lot of great progress; I think there’s certainly room for improvement in all aspects of our game, but I think we’ve definitely made solid improvement,” Slaughter said. “Like I said, it’s about sticking together as a unit, making sure everything fits together, and it also comes down to technique and fundamentals. It also comes down to preparation, knowing what kind of look we’re going to get, knowing when I see that I know it’s coming, so confidence is definitely a part of it. I think the way we prepare also contributes to this.”

Conclusion

Jake Slaughter will face his toughest challenge of the entire season on the University of Georgia’s defensive line. But this time it doesn’t look like Georgia can walk into a stadium, put their helmet on the grass and have their opponents capitulate immediately. Slaughter and his teammates not only want to compete, but they also want to win.

If you want to get to a bowl game, these moments are the building blocks on the path to progress.