FLORIDA FOOTBALL: Kingsley Eguakun Cleared to Practice, Eyes Return on Saturday

Florida Gators center Kingsley Eguakun, who missed the team's first two games, has been cleared to return to practice.

"We get Kingsley back this week and that'll be good," Billy Napier said in his weekly press conference on Monday.

The Gators plan to have Eguakun make his season debut on Saturday when they welcome in No. 11 Tennessee.

Eguakun missed both the Utah and McNeese State games as he recovered from a high ankle sprain he suffered on Aug. 16. His return is a huge gain for the Gators, as he is the most experienced among the offensive line group.

Jake Slaughter started both games at center in replacement of Eguakun and received praise from within the Florida football program for stepping up in a big spot. After struggling as a unit against Utah, the Gators offensive line dominated the McNeese St. defensive front, paving the way for 327 rushing yards.

In his redshirt sophomore season, Eguakun was a bit inconsistent. While at times he flashed his potential with sharp, quick steps on run blocking and pass sets, but he also had a fair share of missed assignments and penalties that set the Gators back.

At the season's end, Eguakun had the lowest Pro Football Focus grade of all linemen who were on the field for more than 10 snaps. He was also third-to-last out of the entire team.

Nonetheless, the experience is something that Napier and company will be excited to get back into the lineup.

Florida will hope to keep its foot on the pedal as they welcome the big-time SEC rival Tennessee Volunteers, who have been hot to start the year. The Gators struggled to execute their gameplan on the road against Utah, but look to build off of a dominating performance against the Cowboys.