He could be as good as Trask with wheels, if so, our offense will roll. Lets hope that front seven is legit and our secondary is up to backing it up.
Florida Gators (+4000) If ... Lagway is what we think he is. Like Arch Manning, we're projecting success onto DJ Lagway. The No. 8 prospect in the 2024 class went 6-1 as a starter and averaged an explosive 16.7 yards per completion. But he also threw nine interceptions with subpar efficiency, and he ranked 69th in Total QBR. That he's currently No. 6 in the Heisman odds, then, feels aggressive. Lagway has great size, a huge arm and solid mobility, but that's a lot of hype. If ... he has receivers. Last season's two main pass catchers are gone, and sophomores Eugene Wilson III and Aidan Mizell are the two most proven returning options outside of UCLA transfer J.Michael Sturdivant. Wilson caught 61 passes as a freshman and had receptions of 85 and 40 yards early in 2024 before a season-ending injury. He's a likely star, but Lagway will also need help from others. If ... last season's sophomore defenders become steely-eyed veterans. How young was Florida's 2024 defense? Of the 12 returning defenders who had 200-plus snaps, eight are now sophomores or juniors. That the Gators still jumped from 60th to 23rd in defensive SP+ was exciting, and it wouldn't be surprising if the Gators enjoyed another leap in 2025. That will require juniors such as nickel Sharif Denson and linebacker Grayson Howard to raise their games even more. If ... the Gators have the depth to survive this ridiculous schedule. Florida went 8-5 last season -- 2-5 against the SP+ top 15 and 6-0 against everyone else. The late-season upsets of LSU and Ole Miss were exciting, but with seven more projected top-15 opponents on the schedule, a genuine title run will require even more huge wins and exceptional depth.
