5 Questions with Florida center Brett Heggie

Florida senior offensive lineman: 

Q: What are your thoughts on transitioning back to center when Ethan White got hurt?

 A: Coming in, I played center all throughout high school and first year here I played center and then kind of got away from it the next couple years playing guard. But I've always been ready and practicing snapping just in case, because I never knew what was going to happen. And obviously preparing for it this year with Nick Buchanan leaving, and just got my opportunity, and I have to be prepared every week.

 Q: How much does you head have to be on a swivel when Kadarius Toney gets the ball behind the line of scrimmage?

 A: Yeah, you don’t know where he’s going. The one play we ran, I was blocking to the right, and I looked back to the left, and he’s like running with one hand on the ground, and the next thing you know he’s gone. You never know where he’s going to go. He’s just a playmaker, and you never know what’s going to happen with him. Just a big playmaker for us.

Q: Did you go into preseason camp with the mindset that you were going to be prepared to play center?

 A: I didn’t know where I was going to be, so throughout the quarantine I prepared for all three interior positions. I didn’t know where I was going to end up when we got back for minicamp. We were kind of splitting reps and stuff like that and then he was playing more of center. But I was just always prepared because you never know what is going to happen in this game, so you just better be prepared. So when that happened I was just ready to play.

 Q: When you came to UF was it your goal to be the starting center?

 A: I think my goal when I came to Florida was just to play. That’s just what I wanted to do. Any spot I could find on the field to play, that’s what I wanted to do. Not just center but either guard or center.

Q: How hard is it to play multiple positions on the offensive line?

 A: I think the biggest thing is just really having a grasp of the offense and knowing what’s going on. I think with me the experience and being around for a while I kind of get the fundamentals down for all three spots. It helps out with practice. If I can have some reps here or there at guard or center, you know, just to have some reps before the game. The biggest thing is just knowing what you’re doing out there and being able to see different things so that you can pick up blocks.