The 2025 season has been a nightmare for Florida football. After beginning the season ranked No. 15 in the AP Top 25, the Gators are 3-8 and have lost four straight games. However, Saturday might have been the most demoralizing defeat of the season.
On the night where legendary head coach Urban Meyer was celebrated in The Swamp, the Gators fell flat against rival Tennessee in a 31-11 blowout. It was the first time since 2003 that UF was defeated by the Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
With their nightmare year nearing its end, UF’s leaders aren’t focusing on the negatives. They’re looking at how they can restore the program to its former glory.
“It means everything to me,” DJ Lagway said. “The legacy and the tradition that this place holds. This is way bigger than all of us. It's just a blessing to be here.”
On December 20, 2023, before he stepped foot on UF campus, Lagway put up a post that remains pinned on his X account: “You either gone win with us, or watch us win.”
Despite the struggles they have faced and the uncertainty regarding the future, Lagway didn’t flinch when asked if he still believes in that statement.
“I stand on my word,” Lagway said. “In due time, we’re gonna get this thing rolling. And you’ll go look back at that tweet three or four years from now.”
The sophomore’s confidence remains intact despite his challenging 2025 season. Through 11 games, he has thrown 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He did not turn the ball over in Saturday’s loss, but he was held to only 116 passing yards in the contest against a Tennessee team that had one of the worst pass defenses in the SEC entering Saturday.
While Lagway’s season has been filled with ups and downs, his backfield partner, Jadan Baugh, has been Florida’s most consistent offensive force.
The sophomore running back has racked up 1,173 all-purpose yards, 904 of which have come on the ground. He has also scored eight touchdowns, including UF’s lone end-zone trip on Saturday.
Baugh stressed the importance of UF’s legacy as not only the reason he became a Gator, but as part of what drives him to continue to be great.
“Coming into my recruitment, just knowing that Florida wanted me stuck out a lot, just because my pops and some of my uncles, we always grew up watching the Gators … play like how Gators play,” Baugh said. “So I think it gives me extra motivation just to know, like, you're playing in one of the greatest places you can play in.”
Baugh’s tough running has been even more important in 2025 due to Florida’s offense suffering through numerous injuries on all levels. Baugh’s 182 carries more than doubles the remainder of UF’s running backs, who have combined for just 73 rushing attempts on the season.
Despite the wear and tear, Baugh continued to stress the importance of “finishing the mission” that all of UF’s roster was meant for when they arrived on campus.
“Coach [Billy Gonzales], he always preaches to us, play for the patch,” Baugh said. "I feel playing for the patch is not just playing for my brothers that's with us now, but the ones who came before us, and it means something to us but it means a lot to them.”
The saying “play for the patch” has been Gonzales’ go-to phrase throughout his tenure as interim head coach, and it's something Lagway, Baugh and Devin Moore all mentioned after Saturday’s game.
Moore’s time at UF is winding down, as the senior defensive back only has one game remaining donning the Orange and Blue. Saturday, he reminisced on his journey alongside his teammates, and how important it has been to their growth not only as players, but as people.
“The amount of things that the University of Florida has done for me and my brothers, we owe the world to the university,” Moore said. “It changed my life, it changed a bunch of people's lives in the locker room. It's a standard at the university and we've got to uphold it.”
While Moore’s final season as a Gator hasn’t gone to plan in terms of team success, individually, he has put together his best collegiate season. He has recorded 33 tackles, a sack, two interceptions and three pass deflections, setting career highs in each category.
As Moore addressed the media for what might be his final time after a game, his emotions were evident.
“I've bled, I've cried, I've sweat with these guys,” Moore said. “The motive is just to keep going … We're playing for each other. Those guys in the locker room don't want us to go out on a bad note. And that's definitely the motivation, and to continue to keep chipping wood, continue to keep going, show up every day.”
Moore and UF’s seniors look to go out on a high as the Gators host in-state rival Florida State (5-6, 2-6 ACC) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 4:30 p.m.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max is in his sixth semester at The Alligator and now serves as The Alligator's Football Reporter and is a junior sports journalism student. He previously served as The Alligator's Sports Editor, and served as reporter for women's tennis, volleyball and lacrosse. He also has made multiple appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. He wants to shoutout his cats, Scooter and Zoe, and niche former Florida Panthers players (shoutout Tomas Kopecky).
