O’Cyrus Torrence grateful for guidance from Florida staff to reach NFL

O’Cyrus Torrence can still remember the first time Florida coach Billy Napier and offensive coordinator Rob Sale told him he had pro potential. It happened after the 2020 opener at Louisiana.

The Ragin’ Cajuns beat a Top 25 opponent on the road for the first time in program history, upsetting No. 23 Iowa State with a 31-14 win. UL had been 0-26 in away games against ranked foes.  

Following 13 starts as a true freshman, Torrence showed at the beginning of his sophomore season that he could perform against better competition in his first game vs. a Power 5 opponent.

“That first game I came out hot,” Torrence recalled. “I had a pretty good game against that caliber of players. After that they told me, ‘If you continue to progress in this way, you can be in the NFL.’ So, I just took that and ran with it.”

Torrence took off at Louisiana — earning All-Sun Belt honors twice — before transferring to Florida, where he proved himself in the SEC. Torrence never allowed a QB hit or sack in 3,065 career snaps, including zero QB hurries or penalties in 698 snaps and 11 games started with the Gators in 2022.

Torrence, a four-year starter in college, followed Napier and Sale’s plan for his development to a tee. It paid off on April 28 when he was selected in the second round by the Buffalo Bills with the 59th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

“I just remember them always talking about me being in this position and always telling me to practice what I preach and speak good things to myself and just always be ready for that moment,” Torrence told Gators Online. “When I freshman, telling me to be ready just in case I have to start, and I ended up starting. So, the preparation of their system just built me up to be in this position I am.

“It’s kind of similar to the NFL. The way the schedule is set up, how many meetings they have and how practice is. It’s kind of similar to how it was at Florida and Louisiana. Coach Napier, just the way he does things is straightforward and regimented and he doesn’t miss a beat. So just being on a schedule like that helped me out a lot, especially in this part of my career.”

Torrence credited Napier, Sale and Florida offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton, who worked with him at UL and UF as well, for allowing him to make a “smooth” transition from college to the NFL. Sale served as the New York Giants offensive line coach in 2021 and Stapleton played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2007 to 2010, starting on their Super Bowl XLIII team.

“They helped me out a lot, not even in just a physical aspect. I feel like I was physically gifted and strong, but the mental part of the game. Just explaining to me how things will be at this level and now that I’m here, I know what they mean,” Torrence said of Sale and Stapleton.

“So, I know how to navigate through certain things. In practice, I know how the tempo and pace of things are. So, my mindset and being able to do this, I feel like they helped me out a lot to get me to this point. I was able to come here and picks things up fast and hit the ground running and produce at a fast rate.”

Torrence finished last season as the top-rated guard in the nation at 88.0, according to Pro Football Focus. He became first Florida offensive guard to be named a Consensus First-Team All-American, and the fifth lineman in school history.

His UF legacy was forever cemented in late March with the 72nd All America brick outside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

“I was one of those players who was actually able to come from a lower conference and go to a big conference and excel and be one of the best players at my position in that conference. You see, but you don’t see it too often,” Torrence said. “So, it just made me feel like I did something great in the aspect of leaving my mark at Florida.”

Torrence is Napier’s second offensive lineman from Louisiana to become a second-round pick, joining Robert Hunt who was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2020. Napier expects Torrence to be able to start as a rookie for the Bills.

“This guy can step in there for you and play right away,” Napier said. “His first game of his college career, the starter in front of him got hurt, he’s jogging out there in the first possession of the game and the rest is history. He’s a really quick learner, great character, very unassuming. Kind of lives a simple life, from a small community in Louisiana. Ultimately, the guy has traits. 

“This is a guy, in my opinion, can plug and play as a day one starter. The proofs in the pudding. He’s not only proved it on film, but in every measurable. I think the guy is off the charts. Cybo has been a pleasure to be around. I can’t compliment his work ethic, his durability, his toughness. He has been a very consistent player and person for us throughout his career.”

As he reflects on his humble beginnings in Greensburg, Louisiana, where he was raised by his grandmother, to his life in Buffalo now, Torrence is grateful not only for his football journey, but the coaches who guided and helped him progress to the next level.

“I just feel grateful for everything that they’ve done for me to get me to this point, and I just can’t be thankful enough for the game itself. Seeing where I come from and where I am now, this job only happens for the 1 percent. So being able to do this and being where I’m from just makes me grateful,” Torrence said.

“Some days I go in there and you can kind of forget how tough it is — just practice and the job you’re doing. But it’s easy to remember, a lot of people would love to be in my position and doing my doing, so I’m just grateful for the spot I’m in.”