Defined by their resilience and brutality during the early 2000’s when they rose to commercial fame, The University of Florida’s Gators Football team is a strong source of pride for many Floridians. However, as of recent, the Gators have had a rough couple of seasons.
The loss of Anthony Richardson after the 2022 season to the NFL draft was a big one. Despite the quarterback position being filled by Graham Mertz, the Gators had a losing record during the 2023 season. Fans were upset and began blaming Gator Head Coach Billy Napier. Things weren’t looking good for the Gators, especially with an upcoming season that was deemed, “one of the hardest in college football.”
However, after a bye-week early on in the season, the Gators came back to the field with a vengeance. The defensive team, which had been struggling for the past couple seasons, took down number 16 LSU and number 9 Ole Miss as an unranked team. Players like Caleb Banks, Tyreak Sapp, and George Gumbs Jr pushed the envelope this season with incredible rushing performances on quarterbacks and running backs alike.
Then, with the incredible addition of number 1 high school player in the country, DJ Lagway, the offense has become exceptionally efficient. While there was a slow start in the beginning with dual quarterbacking with Graham Mertz, Lagway stepped into his role as the number 1 quarterback on the team after Mertz injured his knee. At the game against FSU at the end of the season, Lagway led a 40 second touchdown drive with only two throws.
During a recent press conference interview, Coach Bill Napier said “This team has a lot of confidence… we believe we can beat anyone right now.”
While the future team has looked rough for the past couple years, fans look forward to watching Gators grow and showcase why they are the best out right now, and what they are willing to do to become championship contenders once more.
