Name: Brett Heggie
Number: 61
Position: Offensive Line
Class: Redshirt Senior
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 321 pounds
Hometown: Mount Dora, Fla.
High School: Mount Dora
Twitter: @HeggieBrett74
Overview:
One of the few remaining holdovers from the previous regime, Heggie joined the Gators in former coach Jim McElwain’s second recruiting class in 2016. A three-star prospect from central Florida, Heggie was the sixth-best center in the class per the 247Sports Composite. Already at nearly 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds coming out of high school, Heggie had good size right away. Still, he sat out his first season in 2016, taking a redshirt.
As a redshirt freshman, though, he was one of the Gators’ best offensive linemen. He appeared in eight games (starting seven of them) and earned an SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week award before an injury against Missouri cut his 2017 season short.
He returned in 2018, but his season was again limited by injuries. Still, he appeared in nine games, earning another SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week award. He saw action at both guard spots as a redshirt sophomore, and he was a part of an offensive line that allowed just 18 sacks all season, the third-least in the SEC.
Heggie played in 12 of UF’s 13 games the following year, starting all of them. He once again saw starts at both left and right guard, and the Gators’ passing offense took a major leap forward, becoming the 16th-best in the country.
During his final season in 2020, Heggie moved to center, where he started for all 12 games. He was one of the team’s most dependable offensive linemen, which allowed quarterback Kyle Trask to have a record-setting season through the air. Florida led the nation in passing yards per game and were eighth in yards per play, and in the process, Heggie took home the third SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week award of his career in the season opener against Ole Miss.
With his eligibility expired, Heggie will move on to the NFL while the Gators are left to try to fill a major void along the interior of their offensive line.
Video:
On the other side of the ball Brett Heggie (@HeggieBrett74) works extremely well from the center position with a driving block on the 320 pound nose tackle of Ole Miss, KD Hill. pic.twitter.com/JywJAqhIpZ
— Michael Rochman (@MR_NFLDraft) November 24, 2020