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Bryce Lovett – 2023 Offensive Tackle – Florida Commit
The Basics
Bryce Lovett is a 6’5, 330-pound offensive tackle from Rockledge High School in Rockledge, Florida. 247Sports has Lovett rated as an 86/100, good for a three-star rating. The 247Sports composite has him as the 63rd ranked offensive tackle nationally, the 109th overall player in the state of Florida, and the 734th overall player nationally.
During the recruitment process, Lovett amassed a number of Power Five offers. According to 247 sports, his offer list included schools like Arkansas, Boston College, Coastal Carolina, Duke, Florida, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri, Syracuse, UCF, USF, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia. At the end of his recruitment process, Lovett decided to announce his commitment to first-year Head Coach Billy Napier and the Florida Gators. He is currently the fifth commit for the Gators in the 2023 recruiting cycle.
Roster Outlook
According to OurLads.com, the current projected Gators depth chart includes these players for the 2022 football season.
Left Tackle: Richard Gouraige (Rs Sr.), Austin Barber (Rs Fr.), and Tony Livingston (Fr.).
Right Tackle: Michael Tarquin (Rs Jr.), Kamryn Waites (Rs Fr. Tr.), David Conner (Fr.)
Along with Bryce, I would expect the Gators to add additional depth at the offensive tackle position over the next year as well. There is little doubt that Lovett will not be the only tackle they take in the 2023 recruiting class.
How he fits and opportunities for playing time
After watching and evaluating his available game film, there are a couple of major takeaways that I identified. The first is that he has great burst off the line. In run situations, the quick burst was evident as he routinely hits his man before they are set and ready to take him on. He also displays good bend at 330 pounds. He tends to attack his man from a low position, progressively coming up as he forces them back. In games, he frequently puts his matchups on the ground, specifically in run situations. He also is a more than capable pass blocker as he has sound technique.
More Sports News
Occasionally, shiftier defensive ends do get around him. In these scenarios he tries to stay with them, usually forcing them behind his quarterback. He does tend to rely more on strength alone during pass blocking. While relying on strength has not been an issue for him in high school, he rarely is matched up against opponents of similar measurables and strength. Going to the SEC, he will have to become conditioned to playing against more consistently even competition.
Offensive linemen rarely play a lot early in college. This is because the technique that linemen learn tends to take longer to develop than other positions. Between body development and technique, I don’t think Lovett will see the field much as a freshman. Depending on how quickly he develops, we could see him move into the two-deep by his sophomore year at the earliest. It will likely be his junior and senior years where he sees the most time assuming he stays the course and plays his entire collegiate career in Gainesville.
Overall, this is a solid pick-up by Head Coach Billy Napier and the Gators recruiting staff. Bryce Lovett projects to be a good depth piece for the Gators and could develop into a high-impact player as an upperclassman.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
