Florida Gators' OL Kamryn Waites' Starting Spot is a Long Time Coming

Good scouting, patience and hard work have paid dividends for Florida Gators offensive lineman Kamryn Waites' as they get ready to face the Miami Hurricanes.

Florida Gators offensive lineman Kamryn Waites has battled injuries to earn a starting spot vs. the Miami Hurricanes. / Matt Pendleton / USA TODAY NETWORK

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Kamryn Waites journey to becoming an offensive lineman for the Florida Gators has been anything but traditional. 

On Wednesday, he was named as the Gators’ starting right tackle ahead of the season-opener against No. 19 Miami, but this wasn’t always the plan, and when it became a plan, there were times when it seemed like it wouldn’t come to fruition. 

An unranked prospect in the class of 2021, the 6-foot 8-inch, 343-pound Waites initially put his focus into basketball during high school with plans to attend Kilgore (Tx.) Junior College. However, a meeting between Waites, Napier and UF running back coach Jabbar Juluke while the two coaches were at Louisiana put a twist in Waites’ plans. 

An initial meeting at an LSU 7-on-7 camp led to a tryout opportunity run by Juluke in Lafayette (La.). 

“He’d never played football before,” Napier recalled. “We crammed him in some 18 cleats. He wears a size 20 cleat - we didn’t have a size 20. Yeah, we put him through a workout. Very impressive to be that big and that athletic.”

A successful tryout alongside athletic basketball tape was enough for Napier to offer Waites a scholarship, which he accepted. He only played in three games with the Ragin’ Cajuns as a freshman, and Napier eventually accepted the Florida head coaching job. Waites would enter the NCAA Transfer Portal on Dec. 21, 2021. 

He didn’t have hardly any college tape, and he wasn’t a highly-touted recruit in high school, but his size and potential that Napier saw first-hand was enough for him to take a second chance on Waites at his new school. 

He recorded his first-career start at right guard in the Gators’ 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl, and after a plethora of outgoing transfers and graduations on the offensive line, there was a chance Waites could start full-time in the 2023 season. 

However, a torn Achilles tendon in January of 2023 ended those hopes, and he wouldn’t start until the Gators’ final two games of the year after Austin Barber went down with an injury. A calf injury knocked him out of spring camp, and the Gators brought in two other tackles via the portal, making Waites’ chances to start kept dwindling. 

Still, like his journey so far, he and Napier kept taking chances, and it seemed to work out. A relatively healthy fall camp where he cross-trained at both guard and tackle thrust him ahead on the depth chart, and now he’ll be expected to keep the right side of the line held together. 

“We’ve always had a ton of confidence in him,” Napier said. “He’s finally had an opportunity to be healthy and take the reps. He’s very versatile. He can play inside and outside both - and he will. But 6-8, 355 doesn’t hurt. And just a great offseason. I think he’s always been a guy we felt had a good future.”

It’ll be crucial for Waites to perform at a high level, too. The Gators’ offensive line struggled mightily last season with 39 sacks given up. In his brief playing time last season, he showed he could be a solution to Florida’s problems on the offensive line. 

Waites allowed only two sacks in 114 snaps between both tackle spots. He produced six games of high-quality run-blocking and four in high-quality pass-protection, according to Pro Football Focus.  

“So we took a chance on him. He’s proved us right,” Napier said. “He’s had bumps in the road with injuries, but big men like that are hard to find. I’m hopeful that Kam will have a heck of a year here.”

Waites will have his first opportunity to prove himself on Saturday when Florida faces No. 19 Miami in The Swamp to open the season. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.