Florida football's Jake Slaughter earns Second-Team All-American

Florida football's outgoing starting center, Jake Slaughter, has received a lot of praise following his redshirt senior campaign with the Gators. The latest accolade comes from USA TODAY Sports, which named him to its Second-Team All-American squad.

He can add this latest achievement to a list that includes the Lombardi Award Watch List, Rimington Trophy Watch List, Outland Trophy Watch List, Sporting News Preseason All-America First Team, while also earning a spot on the All-SEC First Team and being named a Rimington Trophy Finalist. Slaughter has also accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl.

Pro Football Focus gave the Gators' center an 78.9 overall offensive grade last season, which is the fifth-best among FBS centers. His 78.3 run-blocking grade also represented the fifth-best mark, while his 87.1 pass-blocking rating was the eighth-highest. 

Slaughter has been a presence on the Florida Gators' offensive line since 2021, spanning two head coaching tenures — but mostly on Billy Napier's watch. He debuted that season against the Samford Bulldogs on Nov. 13 before redshirting, and after that, the rest was history.

Since 2022, he has appeared in every single Gator game and has started in all of them since 2024, with eight starts in 2023. Slaughter graduated last spring with a degree in Agricultural Education and Communication.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football center Jake Slaughter earns Second-Team All-American