The Florida Gators won their final four games of the 2025 season to finish with an 8-5 record, the best in three years under head coach Billy Napier. Florida will look to ride that momentum into the 2025 season, where the expectations are a playoff berth amongst most of Gator Nation.
According to Fox Sports, Florida has the 15th best odds to win the National Championship in 2025 at +4500. The Gators hold way too early preseason rankings of No.9 (Josh Pate), No.10 (CBS Sports), No.11 (USA Today), and No.19 (ESPN). Pretty much wherever you look, the Gators are considered right on the bubble of a playoff bid.
Gator Country provides three reasons Florida will make the playoffs, and three reasons they won’t.
WHY THEY WILL
1. DJ Lagway
The Gators have one of the more talented quarterbacks in the country in DJ Lagway leading the way in 2025. Lagway showed a ton of promise in 2024, throwing for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions during his Freshman All-American season. The former No.1 QB in the 2024 class led Florida to a 6-0 record in games he started and finished. According to FanDuel, Lagway holds the 10th best odds to hoist the Heisman Trophy in 2025. Lagway has no shortage of play makers either with transfer portal addition J.Michael Sturdivant, the return of Eugene Wilson and Aidan Mizell, and the addition of two top eight receivers in Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III. If Lagway continues to progress and stays healthy in year two, Florida will be a tough out for just about anyone on their schedule.
2. Offensive line should be a strength
Florida’s offense returns the 36th most production in all of college football, largely thanks to the offensive line. Four of Florida’s five starting offensive lineman opted to return to Gainesville in 2025, three of which were NFL Draft eligible. The Gators were able to hold on to their NFL talents in offensive tackle Austin Barber and All-American center Jake Slaughter for their 5th and final season. Florida brings 5,390 career snaps into 2025 from their four returning starting offensive linemen alone. The Gators are primed to have the best offensive lines they’ve had under Billy Napier.
In 2024, Florida’s offensive line graded inside the top 11 in both run and pass block, according to Pro Football Focus. If they can figure out the right tackle spot, there’s room for even more growth as the depth at each position has improved. Having a great offensive line is a common theme when looking at former playoff teams and National Champions. The Gators are in a good spot at offensive line entering 2025.
3. Key returning players on defense
Florida’s defense turned the corner in the second half of last season under Ron Roberts’ guidance, holding opposing teams to an average of 13 points across their final four games. With Roberts back as the primary defensive coordinator and play caller, the Gators returned several key pieces from the 2024 season. Along the defensive line, Florida returned defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who was receiving second round NFL Draft grades after a monstrous close to the season. Banks should enter the 2025 season as one of the best defensive tackles in the country. The Gators also returned their sack leader in Tyreak Sapp, who broke out last season with career highs in sacks (7) and tackles for loss (13). Sapp is a leader in the locker room and one of the most respected players on the team. Banks and Sapp should serve as the rocks for a defense looking to take a huge step forward.
Although somewhat inexperienced, the Gators may have one of the more talented linebacker units in the country. Florida returned four linebackers from their 2024 season in Pup Howard, Jaden Robinson, Aaron Chiles, and Myles Graham. At safety, Florida returned Jordan Castell and Bryce Thornton, who have a combined 2,224 snaps in two seasons at UF. Behind them, Florida welcomed two top eight safeties in the 2025 class in Drake Stubbs and Lagonza Hayward.
While lacking depth at some positions, Florida returned several key starters that have proven they can play at a high level.
WHY THEY WON’T
1. Play calling is still a question mark
In three years with Billy Napier calling plays, the Gators have yet to crack the top 50 in scoring offense and haven’t finished higher than 38th in the country in total offense, which was back in 2022. Offensive coordinator Russ Callaway is expected to take on more responsibility in the offense, but Napier will remain Florida’s primary play caller in 2025. Napier is at his best as a play caller in 12-personnel formations, and he utilizes two tight end sets more than just about every other team in the SEC. However, the Gators roster this upcoming season is filled with talent and speed at the wide receiver position. Time will tell whether Napier will adjust to the team’s strengths. With tons of talent surrounding DJ Lagway, there’s no reason why Florida shouldn’t have a top 25 offense in the country next year. The ability to make in-game adjustments will be critical to Florida’s offensive success as well.
2. Lack of depth at defensive tackle and cornerback
Florida’s roster is the best it’s been under Billy Napier, but there’s still two positions on defense that are lacking the depth needed in the SEC. As previously noted, Florida returned Caleb Banks, but after that there’s question marks surrounding the position group. The Gators are relying on Jamari Lyons for serious production, who suffered a broken ankle in fall camp and missed all of last season. Lyons has just 226 snaps in his career. Florida lost D’Antre Robinson in the spring portal window and replaced him with Baylor transfer Brendan Bett, which may turn out to be a fairly good trade. The next group consists of guys that just don’t have a ton of experience including Micahi Boireau, Brien Taylor Jr., and Tarvorise Brown. Florida is a Caleb Banks injury away from having a defensive tackle unit that probably ranks towards the bottom of the SEC. The Gators are hoping Lyons returns to his pre-injury self and two guys from the projected two-deep can step up and provide significant production.
Florida’s projected starters at cornerback are Devin Moore and Dijon Johnson. While both have produced at a high level when on the field, there’s concerns surrounding both of them. Moore has not played in more than seven full games across three seasons with UF after a number of injuries. Johnson was recently arrested in Tampa and his status is unclear, although we haven’t heard anything to indicate he’s no longer with the team. After those two, Florida turns to Cormani McClain, who played in 111 snaps with Florida last year after transferring from Colorado. The Gators added transfer Michael Caraway and freshman Ben Hanks III to the roster this spring. STAR Aaron Gates and cornerback Jameer Grimsley are recovering from injuries suffered last season.
3. Can DJ Lagway stay healthy?
As good as we think DJ Lagway will be, he has not proven to be very durable. During his freshman season, Lagway suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for most of the Georgia game and the following game vs Texas. During spring camp, Lagway was limited with a shoulder and lower body injury which kept him from throwing in Florida’s practices. Lagway also dealt with a shoulder injury prior to the Miami game, which Lagway announced after his first start vs Samford.
Napier recently announced that Lagway will be 100% by fall camp. Video clips have surfaced on social media of Lagway throwing the football in a training session. Lagway’s shoulder is something to watch in the 2025 season as Florida will need him to stay healthy if they want to make the playoffs.