Galvanized and 15th-ranked Florida would rather be No. 1 than see No. 1 on the field this season

By Canadian Press on August 19, 2025.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s roster has a glaring omission: No one wearing No. 1.

It’s by design, and coach Billy Napier had nothing to do with it.

Veteran team leaders decided it would be fitting if the 15th-ranked Gators avoided the number altogether in 2025. No prima donnas. No egos. No self-serving agendas.

It wasn’t meant as a knock on any former Florida players who donned 1. In fact, running back Montrell Johnson Jr. and defensive end Justus Boone wore it last year and were two of the most respected guys on the roster.

But this year’s team, which returns 13 starters who gained strength from four lopsided losses and constant speculation about Napier’s future in 2024, has aspirations of carrying the Gators back to national prominence.

It is possible to be No. 1 without having a No. 1? Florida will find out. Napier’s squad is the only Southeastern Conference team without one, and nearly all the others have two.

“A little bit of an initiative about the team coming first, the team being No. 1,” Napier said. “Will that be every year? No. But I think it’s a good indicator of the leadership of our team.”

Florida believes it has the core, chemistry and cohesion to be special, a collection of mostly home-grown players who endured a career’s worth of adversity last year alone. Florida got embarrassed at home by Miami and Texas A&M, stoking flames underneath Napier’s already warm seat, and then got drubbed at Texas in early November.

Instead of pointing fingers or looking for lifelines, the Gators stuck together.

“It definitely does feel rewarding when you have a team that’s build on principles and is actually a family. It’s not a portal team,” defensive end Kam James said. “It’s like being here with family versus being here with co-workers.”

The Florida family has welcomed baggage, the kind of shared experiences that bond rather than break. It helped the Gators rally down the stretch last season, winning their final four games and entering 2025 with the conference’s longest winning streak.

“It was very challenging for them as young people and certainly as teammates,” Napier said. “When you do go through something like that, it can galvanize the team and their perspective.”

Florida’s success likely hinges on its quarterback

Sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway is the key to Florida’s season. Lagway has been limited all year, first because of surgery to repair a sports hernia, then because of a sore throwing shoulder and most recently because of a strained left calf.

But he’s closing in on returning to 100% and has a soft opening two games — against Long Island University and South Florida — to get right and find a rhythm with talented receivers J. Michael Sturdivant, Dallas Wilson and Tre Wilson.

“He’s done a phenomenal job of handling everything, good and bad,” offensive coordinator Russ Callaway said.

Napier wants to see defensive strides

The Gators haven’t finished in the upper half of the league in total defense since 2019, and they’ve been double digits every year under Napier. They insist they have the right mix of experience and depth to be a factor on that side of the ball.

“We are on a mission here to play championship-caliber defense,” Napier said.

Keep an eye on these legacy players

Napier has eight players with family ties to the program, including freshman receiver Vernell Brown III, sophomore linebacker Myles Graham and freshman defensive back Ben Hanks III. The trio of highly touted recruits could end up being as good as their Florida fathers.

Schedule includes a daunting stretch

The Gators get two relative cupcakes to open the season but then face four ranked teams – at No. 9 LSU, at 10th- ranked Miami, against No. 1 Texas and at 19th-ranked Texas A&M. Those four games over five weeks should determine whether the College Football Playoff is a reality or a reverie for Florida.

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Mark Long, The Associated Press