The Florida Gators finished the 2024 college football season with a 7-5 record. Florida has a chance in 2025 to show signs of life in potentially being a playoff team from the SEC Conference.
The Gators season will ride upon quarterback D.J. Lagway and head coach Billy Napier. There are a lot of people who believe Florida could be a dark horse during the 2025 college football season. Napier has no doubt been dominating recruiting over the last several weeks. If the Gators are ready to turn the corner, it will be because of Lagway.
College Football Analyst Believes That Florida Gators Quarterback D.J. Lagway Will Be a Breakout Candidate In College Football In 2025
Michael Cohen of foxsports.com listed his Top 10 breakout college football candidates entering the 2025 college football season. Cohen listed the Florida quarterback as one potential breakout candidate. He said about Lagway,
“In some respects, the fates of Lagway and Florida head coach Billy Napier have been intertwined ever since the five-star prospect committed to the Gators on Dec. 7, 2022, a few weeks before the conclusion of Napier’s first season in charge. Lagway, the No. 7 overall player and No. 2 quarterback, headlined an incredible recruiting class that ultimately included five players rated among the top 90 prospects nationally.
So, even as Napier’s teams drastically underachieved on the field — he won just 11 of his first 25 games in 2022 and 2023 combined — decision makers at Florida were hesitant to make a coaching change that might cost them Lagway and other prized recruits. They held off long enough for Lagway to enroll ahead of the 2024 campaign and then, following a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Graham Mertz in mid-October, were afforded an early chance to see if their decision was warranted.
By that point, Lagway had already widened eyes across the sport when he threw for a nation-best 456 yards and three touchdowns during the first start of his career against Samford in Week 2. But in leading Florida to a 5-1 record across the back half of a brutal schedule, including wins over then-No. 22 LSU and then-No. 9 Ole Miss, Lagway established himself as one of the most exciting young players in college football while simultaneously saving his coach’s job as the Gators clawed to an 8-5 overall record and 4-4 mark in the SEC by winning their final four games.
Lagway threw for 844 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions during that stretch to earn Freshman All-America honors from a handful of media outlets. He was also named MVP of the Gasparilla Bowl after completing 22 of 35 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown in a comprehensive 33-8 win over Tulane. “
During the 2024 college football season with Florida, he completed 59.9% of his passes for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 101 yards on 50 carries and zero touchdowns, along with averaging 2.0 yards per carry. The 2025 college football season rides on Lagway’s improvement. If he does not improve much and if Florida doesn’t show many signs of progress, there is a chance that Napier is not the head coach for this football program in 2026.
If they go 8-4 or 9-3, the Gators will keep Napier around for another season. Florida has a chance to be one of the surprise teams in college football in 2025. A lot of people are also banking on Gators quarterback Lagway to be one of the best quarterbacks in 2025 for the SEC Conference also.
For More Great Football Content
Follow me on Twitter at @glennkaplan13 more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional football, click here!
