Through Aug. 22, Sports Illustrated will count down its preseason college football Top 25 with overviews of each team. Here are the full rankings so far.
Daunting is a good description of Florida’s schedule lately. It was tough in 2024 and it’s equally tough this season, with as many as seven Top 25 teams either home or away.
Last September, it felt as though the Gators would not be rising to the level of play the slate required and some around campus were likely bracing for an expensive reset button come December. But credit where credit is due, the team didn’t quit despite looking like a long shot to even make a bowl game at times. They kept at it, discovered a superstar quarterback and rallied to win their final four games that included a rivalry victory over Florida State and upsets of LSU and Ole Miss that all but ended the latter’s playoff hopes.
“This group believes in what we do. I think that’s where we really took a big step in the right direction last year—we found a level of confidence that we could go toe to toe with any team in the country at any place, anytime,” coach Billy Napier said. “At the end of the year, you could argue we were playing as good of football as anybody in the country.
“There’s a little something different in the air right now in Gainesville.”
Indeed, there’s a little bit of momentum back in the program that truly has been lacking for it amid the false start of earlier years under Napier. Whether that all melds together to eventually overcome a typically robust SEC slate and the slew of in-state opponents that are upcoming is worthy of debate. But the offense should be stellar, the defense potentially even better than it was down the stretch in 2024 and maybe just maybe it’s now Florida who could be the daunting prospect on opponents’ schedules instead of the other way around.
Fast Facts
2024 record: 8–5, 4–4 SEC
Offense: 28.3 ppg (64th in FBS), 6.26 yards per play (29th)
Defense: 23.1 ppg (42nd in FBS), 5.25 yards per play (42nd)
On the Headset
Billy Napier, entering Year 4 in Gainesville (eighth as a head coach), 59–31 overall record, 19–19 with the Gators
There were multiple points last season where Napier felt as good as gone from Florida and coaching hot seat lists were being readied by the dozen. Getting blown out at home to Miami was one, getting trucked by Texas A&M was another, and certainly that was the case after being so uncompetitive in Austin against Texas that athletic director Scott Stricklin (who was dealing with a basketball scandal) felt like a regular on the broadcast he was being shown so much.
Though the Gators rallied down the stretch to cool Napier’s seat plenty going into the offseason, expectations remain high enough that this is still a make-it-or-break-it type of season for him. Two sub-.500 seasons and one with eight wins is simply not cutting it at Florida, especially given how much has been invested off the field to give Napier everything he needs.
“This is a challenge that’s worth pursuing, and there’s no other group that I would want to do it with. I get excited when I go in that building and I observe our team and our staff work,” Napier said. “This ’25 group is a new team. There’s new roles. There’s a new set of challenges, and I think it’s important that we stay the course.”
How many games Napier ultimately has to win is likely a bit of a moving target and it doesn’t help matters that there will be a new school president and an athletic director who still might be on a hot seat himself. The schedule is tough, but that also results in plenty of opportunities to do what the fan base wants this season: see their head coach guide the Gators back into the playoff conversation that they’ve been absent in for far too long
Key Returning Starter
QB DJ Lagway, So.
Lagway was forced into the lineup a little earlier than expected but more than delivered as a true freshman who Florida pinned a lot of their future on. He started seven times and won six of them despite a midseason hamstring injury, ending up with 10 yards per attempt on the season to go with a modest 12 touchdown passes. He’s athletic enough to move around and keep plays alive, but his strong arm is what jumps out.
“My best attribute as a quarterback is really just … I guess my aura, confidence and just the way I portray myself on game day,” Lagway said at SEC media days. “My teammates always joke around about, like, they say that I’m a totally different person on game day. It kind of oozes out of me. And it’s just great to be able to be that for my guys.”
The difference with Lagway on the field is noticeable and his play was crucial in that closing stretch in 2024 that included several upsets. If he can take the next leap despite dealing with a shoulder injury this offseason, Lagway may not only save his head coach’s job but potentially start to earn some Heisman buzz as well.
Key Transfer
WR J. Michael Sturdivant, from UCLA
The Gators’ receiving corps is already pretty stacked with sophomore Eugene Wilson III and stud freshman Dallas Wilson, but in Sturdivant the team could have the reliable veteran who can often be the difference between stalling in the red zone or putting points on the board. He’s a four-year starter across time at Cal and UCLA and stands out for his height on the outside. A sure pair of hands, it wouldn’t be surprising if he winds up leading the team in receptions despite plenty of speedy burners that may soak up targets.
Key Departure
Edge Jack Pyburn, transfer to LSU
Losing Pyburn hurt this offseason not only for his production in the front seven (60 tackles in 2024) but for his ability to unlock the play of those around him like Tyreak Sapp, Caleb Banks and Grayson Howard. He was a key leader on defense and the fact that he went across the SEC to a rival like LSU stings double despite Florida still having decent depth back for ’25.
Circle the Dates
- Sept. 13, at LSU
- Sept. 20, at Miami
- Oct. 4, vs. Texas
- Nov. 1, vs. Georgia (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Bottom Line
The Gators’ schedule does not give the team many breathers and there are coin-flip games all over. The talent level has taken a step forward overall and they have the type of quarterback to hitch your wagons to in a league like the SEC. Whether that will result in enough wins to keep Napier in charge for another season is something a lot of folks will have an interest in.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sports Illustrated’s College Football Preseason Top 25: No. 16 Florida.