Getting to Know Florida Gators OL Stewart Reese With SI's Cowbell Corner

We talk with SI's Cowbell Corner to gather more information on Gators' new offensive lineman Stewart Reese.

The Gators made a major move yesterday in acquiring former Mississippi State offensive lineman turned graduate-transfer Stewart Reese. Reese will be immediately eligible to play this upcoming season and looks to make an impact right away on a Gators offensive line which has some talent but is extremely young.

Yesterday, we broke down how Stewart may impact the Gators' offensive line moving forward, and specifically where he projects to play next season. Gators head coach Dan Mullen is no stranger to Reese of course after recruiting him to play for the Bulldogs as the head coach from 2016-17, but how much has the young offensive lineman progressed over the years?

Today, we got a chance to get to the bottom of some of those questions, speaking with Joel Coleman of SI's Mississippi State Bulldogs site, Cowbell Corner.

1. Were you at all surprised Reese entered the transfer portal?

I wasn’t surprised. There’d been rumors floating around for a while that it was a possibility. Albeit it was just that – rumors. Nothing solid to support them. And Reese was supposedly still participating in meetings with Mississippi State coaches over the last few weeks, so that made it kind of seem like there wasn’t much substance to the rumors. Still, it was always kind of in the back of my mind that there was some fire to the smoke of him transferring, particularly with his brother on the team at Florida.

2. Reese was a 34-game starter at Mississippi State, how much of an impact will this have on the Mississippi State offensive line in your opinion?

Well, it’s not ideal, but it’s not a killer either. The Bulldogs are pretty solid upfront. They’re pretty deep. I’m just speculating a touch here, but MSU could do something like keep senior Greg Eiland at tackle, then slide grad transfer from Alabama Scott Lashley inside to where Reese would’ve been.

There are options. If the above scenario I outlined played out, there’s a chance MSU could still go into the coming season with four seniors on its offensive line with the only non-senior being redshirt freshman Charles Cross, who was a five-star recruit. I’d say, even without Reese, State’s front could still be considered above average with a chance to be better than that.

3. Reese played right tackle for two years before transitioning to right guard last season, how easy was that transition for him?

I’d say it was as smooth as could be. In fact, I’d even suggest Reese is [a] better fit to play inside. To me, one of the greatest traits of an offensive lineman is if he can play a game and you hardly notice him. You never really have to even mention his name. Reese was one of those types of guys. He just did his job and was rock solid at it.

4. Mississippi State was known more for running the football, but how did Reese hold up in the passing game?

Just fine. Heading into the bowl game last year, he had seen action in 208 pass-blocking snaps in 2019. He’d only allowed eight QB pressures and not a single sack. It goes back to what I said earlier. He rarely has one of those plays where you sit back and say, ‘He didn’t do his job’.

5. Ultimately, what are the Gators getting in Stewart Reese?

They are getting a really good, solid player and, from my experience with him, a good guy. He’s a reliable guy. And don’t forget he’s coming into a situation with coaches that recruited him and that he played under. So he’ll know exactly what’s expected of him and the coaches know exactly what they’re getting. There should be no surprises on either side. I think it’s a pretty ideal fit for both Stewart and the Gators.