That the Gators raised the curtain against ranked opponents in each of Coach Billy Napier‘s first three seasons was both admirable and ambitious, but also costly the last two years, what with troubling losses setting a caustic narrative before the calendar had even flipped to September.
Enter 2025 and Long Island University.
[Read senior writer Scott Carter‘s comprehensive “Opening Kickoff” setup here]
LIU is an FCS program in just its seventh year of existence. The 15th-ranked Gators will represent the Sharks’ seventh FBS foe (the previous six were losses) and only the fourth from a power conference. Regarding the latter, how did the previous three go?
- 2021 – Lost at West Virginia 66-0
- 2023 – Lost at Baylor 30-7
- 2024 – Lost at Texas Christian 45-0
Florida, meanwhile, last opened against an FCS team on Sept. 1, 2018, when Charleston Southern not only ushered in the 2018 campaign but also the Dan Mullen era. The Gators won 53-6.
The last FCS team to come to town was Samford, out of the Southern Conference. The Bulldogs rolled in Sept. 7, 2024, a week after UF opened the season at home with a cringe-worthy 41-17 loss against 19th-ranked Miami. The Gators bounced back against Samford, winning 45-7 behind freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who passed for 456 yards and three touchdowns in guiding his unit to 632 yards of total offense, but more importantly providing a beacon of hope for the future.
That future is now.
Lagway, the 6-foot-3, 247-pound sophomore, is not the sole reason – far from it – for the optimism emanating from Florida football entering ’25, but he’s a significant one.
In Year 4 under Napier, the Gators not only have a Heisman Trophy candidate under center, but one of the best offensive lines in the nation and playmakers at all the skill-position spots. Defensively, they return a nucleus of guys who were key performers from an impressive late-season turnaround on that side of the ball that helped fuel a four-game finish that included wins over No. 21 LSU, No. 9 Ole Miss, a road stomping of rival Florida State and blowout defeat of Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Along the way, Lagway was the QB of record, having taken over for injured starter Graham Mertz. Lagway finished the season at nearly 60-percent completions, 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions on a team that went 8-5. Not exactly stellar stats, but the Gators were 6-0 in games Lagway started and finished healthy.
Bottom: Long Island team photo
Lagway spent the bulk of the offseason dealing with a nagging calf injury, so the health staff was cautious with his workload during the preseason, with Napier only Monday confirming his franchise QB would start the opener. Lagway hasn’t had a ton of full-go reps alongside running backs Jadan Baugh and Ja’Kobi Jackson or wideouts Eugene Wilson III, Dallas Wilson, Aidan Mizell, etc. Defensively, the Gators are led by fifth-year senior edge Tyreak Sapp and tackle Caleb Banks and seek to build on that November/December surge highlighted by turnovers, sacks and stops that fueled the four-game winning streak.
It all makes this game – and its potential for fireworks – all the more intriguing.
LIU, which is 16-42 in its six seasons of existence, hails from the Northeast Conference along with the likes of Mercyhurst, Stonehill and Wagner. The Sharks finished finished 28th among FCS teams in total defense last season (329.0 yards per game), but 83rd in offense (334.8), suggesting the Gators could be in for a bunch of possessions and stat night.
The home team could use it, considering the Florida schedule, which includes seven games against teams ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25, looks like the most difficult in college football … and that was before next week’s opponent, unranked South Florida, dominated No. 25 Boise State in its Thursday night opener.
Oh Boise! Let’s go.
Coverage starts at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and SEC Network+, with the crew of Jay Alter on play-by-play, Rocky Boiman providing analysis and Stephanie Otey on the sidelines. The Gators Sports Network from Learfield broadcast will air with pregame coverage beginning at 4 p.m. and eventually give way to the team of Sean Kelley, Shane Matthews and Tate Casey on the call. For GSN stations, click here.
The game will be re-aired Thursday at noon on the SEC Network.
Finally, follow senior writer Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) on X for commentary and analysis throughout the game. FloridaGators.com will have complete post-game coverage from the game late Saturday night and follow-up content Sunday, also.
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
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