Billy Napier’s third year was set to be a crucial one. Following two consecutive losing seasons, the honeymoon phase for the former Louisiana head coach was over, and the pressure was on for the Gators to return to their winning ways.
At the start, it didn’t look like that would be the case. A slow start left the Gators with a 3-3 record.
"I'm not a fool," Napier said early in the 2024 season. "Part of leadership is you've got to have some self-awareness, and you have to make tough decisions. This is all just part of the story."
With former graduate student quarterback Graham Mertz suffering a season-ending knee injury against Tennessee on Oct. 12, then-freshman DJ Lagway sprang into action. It wasn’t a seamless transition as Florida dropped two of its next three games. Then, the tides turned.
The Gators dominated the season’s final stretch, winning four straight games, including two ranked home victories.
With a hot end to the 2024 campaign, Napier earned goodwill from the Florida faithful, and the program’s momentum continued into the offseason. The Gators landed the No. 7 recruiting class in the country, according to the 247Sports composite.
Headlining the recruiting class was a pair of wide receivers, Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson. Both made early impressions on UF staff upon their arrival on campus. Napier supplemented the deep roster with six additions in the transfer portal, headlined by graduate student wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant, who previously played at UCLA.
“This is by far the deepest receiver group we’ve had since we’ve been here,” Napier said following the 2025 Orange and Blue Game. “There’s a bunch of speed out there, so that’s got a chance to be a strength for us.”
Florida also returned a large majority of its eight-win team from 2024. College football expert Phil Steele ranked UF the sixth-most experienced team in the country.
Florida was one of two teams in the nation featured in all eight of Steele’s top 25 position group rankings, with the other team being Penn State, his preseason No. 1 team.
The combination of established talent and incoming firepower has experts high on the Gators heading into 2025. Steele ranked Florida No. 17 in his preseason poll. Athlon Sports placed the Gators at No. 11.
A majority of the excitement for the 2025 season revolves around Lagway, who showcased his dynamic ability in his freshman season. The Willis, Texas, native completed nearly 60% of his passes while throwing for 12 touchdowns in 2024.
"He's on a different planet,” Napier said about Lagway in 2024. “He's got to put the puzzle pieces together — our concept, their concept, the more reps, the better anticipation that he can continue to move quicker and make better decisions. So he'll get better every day."
The Gators' strengths lie in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Four of five starters return to the offensive line from last season’s unit, which greatly improved as the season went on. The line’s anchor is senior Jake Slaughter, a consensus preseason All-American pick. Steele ranked the line the fifth-best group in the nation.
Running behind the line is sophomore running back Jadan Baugh, who is set to shine alongside senior Ja’Kobi Jackson, who recorded 198 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the Spring 2025 Orange and Blue Game. The backfield firepower, combined with the bolstered receiver group, which returns junior Eugene Wilson III, should give the Gators one of the nation’s top offenses.
UF features a unit of highly touted prospects along its defensive line, which Steele ranks the No. 10 unit in the nation. Leading the way are seniors Tyreak Sapp and George Gumbs Jr., who combined for 13 sacks last season. Senior Caleb Banks, who logged 4.5 sacks in 2024, can boost his draft stock with a strong 2025 season.
Despite losing veteran Shemar James, Florida’s linebacker room returns plenty of experience. This includes sophomore Myles Graham, who ESPN’s Harry Lyles Jr. named his breakout player to watch for the Gators in 2025.
“We saw what Graham was capable of as a freshman for the Gators with 30 tackles,” Lyles wrote. “With a line that should only be stronger in front of him, [Graham] has the potential to take another step in 2025.”
In the secondary, the Gators return three starters, including dynamic junior safety Jordan Castell. Florida’s special teams unit returns senior kicker Trey Smack and All-American senior long snapper Rocco Underwood, who are among their position’s top players in the country.
Overall, the Gators’ roster has plenty of strengths and few weaknesses. Steele ranked Florida No. 10 in his power poll, a ranking based on talent alone. However, UF ranks lower in his overall projections due to Florida’s tough schedule, which ranks No. 12 in his schedule rankings.
In September, the Gators will face two of the nation’s top teams on the road: LSU and Miami. In October, the Gators will host Texas, which many experts rank as the No. 1 team in the country. November will be Florida’s busiest month of the season, when the Gators face five tough opponents, including Tennessee, Ole Miss and Georgia.
“The schedule remains tough this year, but this is Napier’s best team here,” Steele wrote. “They [the Gators] are ready to take that next step.”
While the schedule might be daunting, spirits and hopes are high in Gainesville as the season nears its start on Aug. 30, when the Gators host Long Island University at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max is the Summer 2025 sports editor. He is a third-year journalism sports & media major and in his fifth semester at The Alligator. He is a big South Florida sports fan and would die for Matthew Tkachuk.
