Florida hopes to rely on overvoltage at the end of the season with QB DJ Lagway Healthy originally on Athlon Sports.
ATLANTA – The message from the Florida contingent to the dry media days is clear and concise: locate the ball.
Few teams have played better football in the section a season that the Gators, which are impatient to wear this level of play in the fall. Coach Billy Napier said on Wednesday, and his players echoes this desire to face anyone, everywhere after 2024 on a sequence of four consecutive victories.
“There is a little something different in the air at the moment in Gainesville,” said Napier. “Wherever I go, I hear” Gator boys remain hot “. And for me, how to keep this momentum?
Last year is last year, but there is always an air of cautious optimism on the program. Mistrust can be attributed to the calendar, which once again projects the most difficult in the country. Florida should play seven teams classified in the top 25 of the pre-season of Athlon Sports with five of these games outside the Ben Hill Griffin stadium. On the other hand, hope arises – in part – from the players that Napier brought with him to represent the team.
The All-American Jake Slaughter center returns to anchor an experienced offensive line. The defensive platform Caleb Banks is also back after the spearhead of a dominant unit during this turnaround at the end of the season. And then there is a quarter DJ Lagway, which seduced as a real first year after being plunged into the departure position earlier than expected.
Lagway dismissed the concerns about a shoulder injury that limited it in spring, a joker with journalists that he has no prosthetic arms. Napier said he was confident that Lagway was ready to leave.
Florida’s success – and under Napier’s employment safety – largely depends on the health of Lagway. His only defeat as a starter came against Georgia, a match he left early with an injury to the hamstring. The Gators were vigorous in Texas the following week with Lagway away. He returned to direct this late thrust, playing by an injury in the upheavals of LSU and Ole Miss.
“It was a great message that the offseason continues this momentum thanks to our hard work,” said Slaughter. “And the truth is that it is a lot of investment of many guys to create this momentum, and we must continue to develop it.”
Napier said there was one point that Florida had struck half the season around the Kentucky match where her team realized that she could play with anyone.
“From that moment, I think they felt like they were quite good, and it was simply to go and execute and play the day of the match,” said Napier. “So the right thing for us is a great majority of this group is back. And we have added other very good young players to the mixture.”
There was also a recognition that Napier led his work, especially after a slow start which included losses of eruption against Miami and Texas A & M at home.
“I think everyone knew there was a lot of noise on this subject,” said Slaughter. “I think everyone felt a feeling of urgency, like” guy, we have to go there and play. “”
Gators will have more than one period of rise this year than to any other time of Napier’s mandate. Florida will not open its season against an opponent Power 4 for the first time since 2021. However, there is a start of four games in LSU, in Miami, at home against Texas and on the road to Texas A&M which could define the season.
“Locate the ball.” https://t.co/wegg598vcv
– Coach Billy Napier (@coach_bnapier) July 16, 2025
The pre-season forecasts vary for the Gators, which some have finished as a potential competitor of university football playoffs while others think they could trip against this intimidating calendar. The slaughter did not take into account external expectations, but it recognized the potential of the 2025 team took into account its decision to return. He said that he and Banks looked at each other before the Florida Bowl match last December last December wondering what they were going to do.
“There were a lot of other guys in the same place, and we did not have a large seated meeting,” said Slaughter. “But it was understood:” Hey guy, we can take this thing far enough. “”
Related: KALEN DEBOER DE L’ALABAMA says the continuity key for year 2
Related: all eyes on arch: Sisets and sounds of the appearance of the dry media days of Manning
This story was initially reported by Athlon Sports on July 17, 2025, where it appeared for the first time.
