Jacksonville product and former Florida Gators center Kingsley Eguakun is looking for his next NFL opportunity after the New York Giants released him from their practice squad on Tuesday, via the NFL transaction wire.
The Giants terminated Eguakun’s practice-squad contract to make room for offensive tackle Ryan Schernecke and defensive tackle C.J. Ravenell.
The move came just three weeks after the 25-year-old signed with New York on Sept. 1, reuniting with former Gators offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren.
Eguakun’s path has been typical of an undrafted interior lineman grinding for a roster spot. The Sandalwood High School standout spent five seasons in Gainesville from 2019 to 2023, appearing in 44 games with 30 starts at center.
He locked down the starting job in 2021 and 2022, starting all 13 games each year and helping Florida’s line keep sacks among the lowest in the SEC.
An ankle injury limited him to four starts as a senior in 2023, but he still earned Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl invitations before going undrafted in 2024.
The Lions signed him as an undrafted free agent. After a year on Detroit’s practice squad, Eguakun finally reached the field in 2025. He played four games and made his first two career starts at center late in the season when the Lions elevated him.
Cleveland signed him off Detroit’s practice squad on Dec. 31, 2025. He spent the offseason with the Browns before being waived in final cuts Aug. 30. The Giants quickly added him, but the stay was short.
For Gators fans, Eguakun represents the quiet reliability of a homegrown lineman who did the unglamorous work in The Swamp.
He was a four-time SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll selection, earned his bachelor’s in criminology and a master’s in tourism and hospitality management, and rarely came off the field when healthy.
Those traits have kept him employed across three NFL organizations even if a stable 53-man job has remained elusive.
At 6-foot-3 and about 305 pounds, Eguakun still has the size and snap experience teams look for in a backup center. Practice-squad releases this early in the season often lead to another call within days.
Florida products have a long history of bouncing back on the NFL’s margins, and Eguakun’s next stop will be watched closely in Jacksonville and Gainesville.
For now, another chapter closed for a Gator who started 30 games in orange and blue and is still chasing a lasting foothold in the league.
