GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The 2025 Florida Gators and fourth-year head coach Billy Napier are riding a wave of renewed excitement and cautious optimism. Last season's final stretch — four consecutive wins including a 33–8 triumph over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl — sent a clear message: The football program is trending in the right direction.

At the center of the buzz is sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway, who brings a dual-threat skill set that has garnered Heisman buzz entering his sophomore season.

Napier appears to have embraced the renewed expectations and believes his squad can “compete with any team,” emphasizing the team’s internal growth and confidence. With roster continuity on his side — the team returns 14 starters and added a top 10 recruiting class — the Gators appear more stable than they have in years. Napier’s fourth year feels like a make-or-break moment, one where the previous buzz and late-season heat must translate into tangible results.

But now the warning label: Florida faces one of the nation’s toughest schedules in 2025. The Gators dispatched Long Island University 55-0, and now face a USF team that upset previously-ranked Boise State, then come LSU, Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Florida State, which just upset Alabama. That’s a gauntlet from which it  seems impossible to escape without a few setbacks.

Will the Gators ride Lagway’s emergence into one of the program’s most exhilarating seasons in recent memory? Or will the brutal schedule ground their momentum? One thing is certain: 2025 promises to be a defining chapter in the Napier era at Florida.

Florida 55, Long Island 0

• Who: Long Island University at Florida Gators
• When: Saturday, Aug. 30
• Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla. (Capacity 88,548)
• UF 55, LIU 0: The Florida Gators did what was expected against the FCS Long Island Sharks – lead 38-0 by halftime, get real-game snaps for the starters, and play nearly everyone on the depth chart. The Gators' first-team offense showed a little rust early in the game, and that includes sophomore star QB DJ Lagway. He finished 15-of-18 passing with three TDs and 120 yards. UF's defense, meanwhile, handed Napier his first shutout, holding the Sharks to 86 total yards of offense and two first downs.
• W-L: 1-0

Sept. 6: South Florida 18, Florida 16

• Who: University of South Florida Bulls at Florida Gators
• When: Saturday, Sept. 6, 4:15 p.m. ET
• Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla. (Capacity 88,548)
• TV: SEC ESPN
• USF 18, UF 16: Gators coach Billy Napier's future and Florida's season are in jeopardy again. The Gators, who were double-digit favorites, failed to finish drives and committed undisciplined penalties in a humbling home loss to unranked South Florida. No sin was more shameful than Brendan Bett's unsportsmanlike conduct and ejection for spitting on a USF player during the Bulls' winning drive.
• W-L: 1-1

Sept. 13: No. 3 LSU 20, Florida 10

• Who: Florida Gators at Louisiana State Tigers
• When: Saturday, Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, La. (Capacity 102,321)
• TV: ABC
• LSU 20, Florida 10: Gators quarterback DJ Lagway, harassed by the constant blitzes of LSU's defense, threw five interceptions in the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools. Florida's defense stifled the Tigers most of the night, but the offense self-destructed for a second consecutive with penalties and turnovers. One of the five offensive holding flags erased an 87-yard touchdown — the third negated score this year.

Sept. 20: Miami 26, Florida 7

• Who: Florida Gators at Miami Hurricanes
• When: Saturday, Sept. 20, TBD
• Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla. (Capacity 65,000)
• TV: TBD
• Miami 26, Florida 7: The Gators dropped their third consecutive game by turning in one of their poorest offensive performances in recent memory. There was no rash of penalties or interceptions, just a quarterback and offensive attack stuck in neutral. Some of the ugly numbers: 61 passing yards with only one completion greater than eight yards; seven first downs (five on one drive); and ZERO-for-13 on third-down conversions. Florida is 1-3 with six of their eight remaining games against Top 25 teams.

Oct. 4: Texas at Florida

• Who: Texas Longhorns at Florida Gators
• When: Saturday, Oct. 4, 3:30 p.m.
• Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla. (Capacity 88,548)
• TV: ABC or ESPN
• Meet the Opponent: Under head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns went 13-3 in 2024 and reached the College Football Playoff semifinals (losing to Washington). Among Texas’ more resounding wins last year was a 49-17 beatdown of the Gators in Austin. In 2025, there is a new QB under center for the Longhorns: Arch Manning, the latest quarterback star from the family that has given us Archie, Peyton, and Eli. The previous No. 1 Longhorns suffered a 14-7 loss to Ohio State on opening weekend. But their defense, anchored by senior safety Michael Taaffe, should be strong enough to help carry Manning through his development.

Oct. 11: Florida at Texas A&M

• Who: Florida Gators at Texas A&M Aggies
• When: Saturday, Oct. 11, TBD
• Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas (Capacity 102,733)
• TV: TBD
• Meet the Opponent: After dropping their season opener last year to Notre Dame, the Aggies and coach Mike Elko won seven straight games before losing three of their last four and finishing 8-4. In his second year, Elko has seven returning offensive linemen, who should give redshirt sophomore QB Marcel Reed time to develop. He may need to hurry; the schedule includes Notre Dame and a regular-season finale at Texas. A&M also boasts a strong and athletic core of returning players in the secondary, including Will Lee III, Tyreek Chappell, and Dezz Ricks.

Oct. 11: Mississippi State at Texas A&M

• Who: Mississippi State Bulldogs at Florida Gators
• When: Saturday, Oct. 18, TBD
• Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla. (Capacity 88,548)
• TV: TBD
• Meet the Opponent: The Bulldogs' 2024 season was simply brutal: 0-8 in the SEC and 2-10 overall. Their only wins were against non-conference opponents UMass and Eastern Kentucky. It’s not easy turning things around in the SEC, but MSU has a core of experienced players, including senior QB Blake Shapen, who missed the last eight games of the 2024 season due to injury, and junior DB Isaac Smith. With offensive transfers such as RB Davon Booth (Utah State) and WR Brenen Thompson, the Bulldogs hope to re-ignite their offense – and their football program.

Nov. 1: Georgia vs. Florida

• Who: Georgia Bulldogs at Florida Gators
• When: Saturday, Nov. 1, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Where: EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville,Fla. (Capacity 67,838)
• TV: ABC
• Meet the Opponent: The Bulldogs under coach Kirby Smart have become a reliable college football powerhouse — national titles in 2021 and 2022 and SEC crowns in 2017, 2022 and 2024. And Georgia begins 2025 with a preseason ranking of No. 5 in the AP Top 25 — which suggests more of the same. But two-year starting quarterback Carson Beck has transferred to Miami, handing over leadership of the offense to redshirt junior Gunner Stockton. He will have plenty of help, with a receiving corps led by Zachariah Branch and Noah Thomas, returning offensive linemen Micah Morris (LG) and Earnest Greene (RT), and a coaching staff that has been stable under Smart. A solid and deep defense led by ILB C.J. Allen and DB Daylen Everette should keep the Bulldogs a playoff contender.

Nov. 8: Florida at Kentucky

• Who: Florida Gators at Kentucky Wildcats
• When: Saturday, Nov. 8, TBD
• Where: Kroger Field, Lexington, Ky. (Capacity 61,000)
• TV: TBD
• Meet the Opponent: Florida has a record of 54-21 against the Wildcats, but Kentucky coach Mark Stoops has won four of the past seven meetings, including the 2018 victory in Lexington that snapped a 31-game losing streak against UF. For years, this game was not a rivalry. Now Stoops has made it one. This year’s Kentucky roster has 50 new players, including 6-foot-4, 230-pound transfer QB Zach Calzada, a 24-year-old grad student who has thrown for more than 8,707 yards and 73 TDs at Texas A&M and Incarnate Word, and junior RB transfer Dante Dowdell (Nebraska, Oregon). Kentucky may not be high on anyone’s list of the top SEC teams this fall, but with Stoops at the helm, UF should never take the Cats for granted. That’s just the way this game is now.

Nov. 15: Florida at Ole Miss

• Who: Florida Gators at Mississippi Rebels
• When: Saturday, Nov. 15, TBD
• Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, University, Miss. (Capacity 64,038)
• TV: TBD
• Meet the Opponent: As with most Lane Kiffin teams, expect a high-octane offense. In his sixth season, Kiffin has pulled in more than 35 transfers — 19 on offense, including redshirt sophomore QB Austin Simmons and senior transfer RB Logan Diggs (LSU). Simmons might be taking charge of the Ole Miss offense for the first time, but he was the QB last season who led the Rebels on a drive that helped them upset Georgia. The Rebels’ three losses last season (including 24-17 to Florida) kept them out of the playoffs, but they have restocked their potent offense with talent: transfer RB Kewan Lacy (Missouri), senior transfer wide receivers Harrison Wallace III (Penn State) and De’Zhaun Stribling (Oklahoma State), and senior transfer TE Dae'Quan Wright (Virginia Tech).

Nov. 22: Tennessee at Florida

• Who: Tennessee Volunteers at Florida Gators
• When: Saturday, Nov. 22, TBD
• Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla. (Capacity 88,548)
• TV: TBD
• Meet the Opponent: Josh Heupel, in his fifth season as the Vols’ head coach, has rebuilt the offense around grad school transfer QB Joey Aguilar from UCLA. Redshirt freshman WR Braylon Staley has already become one of Aguilar’s favorite big-play targets, along with redshirt junior Chris Brazzell II. On defense, the Vols have junior LB Arion Carter, their main sack threat and disrupter of opposing offenses, and senior DB Jalen McMurray and senior edge rusher Joshua Josephs. Tennessee’s first big test is Sept. 13 in Knoxville, against Georgia.

Nov. 29: FSU at Florida

• Who: Florida State Seminoles at Florida Gators
• When: Saturday, Nov. 29, TBD
• Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla. (Capacity 88,548)
• TV: TBD
• Meet the Opponent: Give credit to Seminoles coach Mike Norvell. His 2024 squad might have gone 2-10, but he has used the tools available to him – the NCAA portal and the ever-changing landscape of NIL deals – to assemble seemingly overnight what could be an ACC contender. Of course, it’s still early and senior transfer QB Tommy Castellanos (Boston College) and redshirt freshman Micahi Danzy will have to keep playing like they did in the upset win over Alabama in Week 1. So will the revamped FSU defense, led by redshirt junior DB transfer Earl Little Jr. (Alabama) and junior LB Justin Cryer. From all outward appearances, this is a vastly-improved FSU squad.

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