The arrow is pointing up for Florida football at the close of the regular season in year three under head coach Billy Napier.
The Florida Gators (7-5) followed up a 31-11 win over rival Florida State by signing a 2025 early recruiting class ranked 11th overall by 247Sports composite and 10th overall by ESPN.
Before pounding FSU, Florida posted back-to-back wins over ranked teams LSU and Ole Miss at The Swamp. The current three-game win streak is tied for the longest in three seasons under Napier. Florida will return to a bowl after a one-year absence.
“We have a hungry fan base,” Napier said. “We have an administration that’s dedicated and committed. We have a number of investors who have stepped up. We’ve improved the player experience here.
“I think the missing piece was the on-field brand of football, the winning formula, the execution. ‘Hey, that’s a brand of football that is effective and I can develop, I can experience success.’ The right kind of kids, they’re either up for the challenge and they show up here to do it, they want to be associated with a winner.”
With promising freshman quarterback DJ Lagway proving he can win games at the SEC level, there is hope that year four under Napier will yield a more significant step forward. Given the strength of the SEC, Florida doesn’t have to win the league to reach the College Football Playoff in 2025. But the Gators, who went 4-4 in conference in 2024, must post a winning record in league play while facing a less brutal schedule.
Here are three other things Florida must do to reach the College Football Playoff next season:
Early season momentum is critical for UF as the Gators have lost their last two season openers at Utah and at home against Miami.
In 2025, UF will open with Long Island University and face USF in its non-conference schedule. Florida will play a return game at Miami, but the matchup with the Hurricanes won’t take place until Sept. 20, giving UF time to iron out any issues coming out of fall camp into early September.
Miami represents the chance for a resume-building win, and If Florida could get through September unbeaten, it would go a long way in creating confidence for the remainder of the 2025 season.
Lagway finished the regular season 5-1 as a starter, passing for 1,610 yards with 11 TDs to 7 interceptions. But he will lose his top two wide receivers — Elijhah Bader (37 catches, 789 yards, 4 TDs) and Chimere Dike (36 carries, 678 yards, 2 TDs) — to eligibility. In addition, starting running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (100 carries, 593 yards, 6 TDs) will be gone, along with starting right tackle Brendan Crenshaw-Dickson. Starting center Jake Slaughter, a redshirt junior, could also opt to declare for the NFL Draft after starting 12 games and earning All-SEC honors.
Florida will look to fill holes at receiver and on the offensive line in the transfer portal. Freshman Jadan Baugh (119 carries, 603 yards, 7 TDs) and junior Ja’Kobi Jackson (83 carries, 452 yards, 7 TDs) will return to provide a solid one-two punch at running back.
UF’s creeper scheme under co-coordinators Ron Roberts and Austin Armstrong finally came together late in the season after being sieve-like in September.
Florida held its last three opponents to an average of 14.7 points during its season-ending three-game win streak. During that span, UF’s defense and special teams forced nine turnovers and recorded 18 sacks.
The Gators can’t afford to take a step back defensively if they want to compete with SEC heavyweights Georgia, LSU and Texas next season.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
