O’Cyrus Torrence’s rise has reached another major checkpoint. The former Florida right guard has agreed to a four-year, $78.4 million extension with the Buffalo Bills, according to multiple reports, a deal that includes $46 million guaranteed and makes him the NFL’s seventh-highest-paid guard.
Buffalo wasted no time making clear how it feels about the move. Bills head coach Joe Brady called Torrence “one of the top guards in football” on Friday, and quarterback Josh Allen went even further when asked about the new contract.
"He deserves every penny," Allen told reporters Friday. "Cybo's just that guy on the team where you ask anybody, I don't think anybody could say a bad thing about O'Cyrus Torrence. And he's the ultimate teammate."
Torrence, 26, was taken No. 59 overall in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft by Buffalo and quickly settled in as a fixture on the offensive line. He has played in all 17 games in each of the past three seasons, and he has also appeared in seven playoff games for the Bills.
Before becoming a key piece in Buffalo, Torrence made his name in Gainesville with one dominant season at Florida. He earned Consensus All-American honors, becoming the first Gators offensive guard to do so and just the fifth lineman in program history to receive the recognition. Florida also honored him with a brick paver outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
His award haul at Florida was stacked. Torrence was a First Team All-American selection by Sporting News, Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association and Walter Camp, and he landed on the second team with the Football Writers Association of America. He also made the AP All-SEC First Team.
The production matched the accolades. During his lone season with the Gators, the junior guard did not allow a sack and did not commit a penalty, which helped establish him as one of the top interior offensive line prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft.
That Florida season was also the latest step in a remarkable climb for a player who entered college without much recruiting buzz. Torrence followed former UF head coach Billy Napier and several staff members from Louisiana to Gainesville ahead of the 2022 season, then kept dominating at the SEC level and confirmed Napier’s early read on him.
"First of all, the guy is really instinctive when it comes to football. He's a quick learner.
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. But, he's a really quick learner, great character, very unassuming," Napier said in 2022 of Torrence.
"Kind of lives a simple life, from a small community in Louisiana. Guy is a great teammate, but ultimately the guy has traits.
He has the measurables. He's 6-foot-five, 335 pounds.
Plays with tremendous power and length. Good in the run game, can move people, but has also been outstanding in protection."
In Other News...
Former Gator JaKobi Jackson Is Suddenly Turning Heads At Ohio State
JaKobi Jacksons move from Florida to Ohio State already made him a name to watch this offseason, and now the former Gator is drawing even more attention in Columbus. After a breakout 2024 season in Gainesville was cut short by injury, Jackson has been getting a fresh look in practice, giving the Buckeyes another back to evaluate as camp roles start to take shape.
The more surprising part is the order of things behind him, with returning sophomore Bo Jackson still part of the picture after a freshman season that topped 1,000 rushing yards and an offseason surgery that apparently has not kept him off the field. Even so, the early practice reps have created an interesting competition in the backfield, and for Florida fans watching from afar, it is a reminder that Jacksons departure may be felt well beyond the swamp. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Sumrall Is Already Demanding What Florida Must Find Fast
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The early days of camp are always about more than reps, though, and this one comes with the added weight of a new staff trying to set standards fast. Sumralls expectations center on consistency and urgency, the sort of tone a program wants before September arrives, and the photo galleries from the reporter-open practices only add another layer of curiosity for anyone tracking how Florida looks in those first workouts. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Could Face A Brutal CFP Problem Thanks To Notre Dame
Floridas path to the College Football Playoff just got a little more complicated, and not because of anything happening in Gainesville. Under the 2026 procedures, Notre Dame would be guaranteed a place if it finishes in the top 12, while the playoff will also reserve spots for the Power Four champions and the highest-ranked Group of Six champion. That structure leaves less room for borderline at-large teams and raises the possibility that a strong Florida season could still end with the Gators on the outside looking in.
The uncomfortable part for Florida is how quickly the math can turn against a team with a good record. In the hypothetical scenario the new format creates, a 10-2 Gators team could have the rsum to feel playoff-worthy and still lose out to Notre Dame because of the way the bracket is built. For Florida, the issue is not just winning enough games, but navigating a selection process that now gives the Irish a clearer lane than many other contenders. [Read more 🡒]