Florida football entered the 2025 football season with a welcome sense of optimism after a largely difficult first three years under coach Billy Napier.

The Gators won their final four games of the 2024 season, capped off by a blowout victory against Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl. They appeared to have a burgeoning star in quarterback DJ Lagway, a former five-star recruit who was critical to the late-season surge. With promising pieces like Lagway back, they earned a preseason No. 17 ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll .

It took just the second game of the season for those dreams of better days to suffer a significant setback.

After a 55-0 win against Long Island in Week 1, Florida fell at home to South Florida 18-16 on Saturday, Sept. 6 after a 20-yard game-winning field goal from

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