GAINESVILLE, Fla. — 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.
What You Need To Know
- The Gators’ team leaders decided that no player would wear No. 1 this season
- The top players want to help Florida achieve national prominence this season and prefer the focus be on the team, not individuals
- Florida, which returns 13 starters from last year’s 8-5 season, is ranked No. 15 heading into the start of the season this week
- A stretch of games against No. 9 LSU, 10th-ranked Miami, No. 1 Texas and 19th-ranked Texas A&M could determine whether UF can make the College Football Playoffs
- Get the latest on the upcoming season with Spectrum Sports’ 30-minute College Football Preview Show at 6:30 p.m. Thursday
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.
Is it 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’s players and coach said they believe the team has the core, chemistry and cohesion to be special, a collection of mostly homegrown 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 built 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.
Florida plans to ease Lagway into the season after he missed spring practice and most of fall camp. Napier said Monday that Lagway will start the team’s opener against Long Island University on Saturday and hinted that the 15th-ranked Gators will try to keep the sophomore out of harm’s way while he works his way back from shoulder and calf injuries.
“I think there’s a gamesmanship to that part. There’s no question about it,” Napier said. “In general, I don’t know that we’re going to disclose our approach with game plan. But I do think it is what it is.”
It makes sense for Florida to be cautious with Lagway, who has been slowed all year following core muscle surgery, a right shoulder issue and then a strained left calf. He fully returned to practice last week, although he still wore a noncontact jersey.
He has a soft opening two games — against Long Island University and USF — 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.
Associated Press
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