Florida Football Preview 2025: Billy Napier Has His Best Gator Team Yet - But Is It Enough?

Miami Herald

4 hours ago

Florida is supposed to be playing for national titles.It's the program of Spurrier, and Urban, and Tebow, and fun, and 'n', and gun, and spread, and Wuerffel - and basketball national titles - and Billy Napier was and is supposed to be the guy who came in and got everything back to normal.How rough has it been? Starting with the final season under Dan Mullen, the 26 losses mark the worst four-year run of Gator football since 1978 to 1981, and there was a 0-10-1 campaign in that mix.
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN Florida Offense BreakdownFlorida Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to SeasonBefore last year, the three straight losing seasons were the first time that happened since a stretch from 1945 to 1947. And following a 49-17 loss to Texas in mid-November, Florida appeared to be destined for its first four-season losing run since the 1930s.And then the offense clicked, the defense didn't allow more than 17 points in any of the final four games, Napier came up with a strong recruiting class, and now there's hope again that the big production is about to come.But first, Florida just has to get closer to the pin against the good teams.
This is the best squad yet under Napier. It was rebuilt to this point with a strong combination of depth, youth, and talent. There weren't any major losses through the transfer portal that can't be fixed, and there weren't a ton of players coming in other than to patch a few holes.The lines are strong, there's a rising superstar at quarterback in DJ Lagway, and the kicking game might be the best in the SEC. But the team needs to be in more tight games to let the special teams be the difference.Out of the 19 losses under Napier, 12 of them were by double-digits, including four of the five defeats last year. And that's where the bar should be set.
Of course Florida needs to be good enough to be a regular in the College Football Playoff, and of course Napier needs to do more, but out of those 19 losses under Napier, 13 were against the elite of the elite that finished with ten wins or more.And this year's schedule might be the toughest of the four.But again, it's Florida. It's supposed to be one of those elites among elites that take down all of the other good programs. It might not happen this year, but 2025 has to be the final season before it does. Florida Offense BreakdownFlorida Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season
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