The calendar has turned to May, which means we are one step closer to the Florida Gators taking the field for their 2025 campaign. Florida is coming off an 8-5 campaign that ended on a four-game winning streak and is hoping to make a playoff run in 2025.
We all know DJ Lagway is going to lead the Gators in 2025, but what about the QBs that Florida is slated to face? Who should they be worried about, and who is overhyped?
Florida Gators open with Long Island University
In the FCS opener in The Swamp, Florida will take on LIU, a departure from the marquee matchups Florida has had the past three seasons to open the year.
On paper, Ethan Greenwood looks like the starter for the Sharks. He closed out the 2024 campaign and is back for the 2025 season.
He's a dual-threat guy who ran for over 130 yards in four of his final five games last season. Accuracy is an issue for Greenwood as he had just a 52% completion rate. The Sharks were terrible last year, but they did win four of their last five games after Greenwood took over, so this may or may not get uncomfortable if Florida isn't ready for his legs.
USF - Byrum Brown
Part of why USF was seen as a potential darkhorse playoff team in 2024 was the belief that Byrum Brown was going to take another step forward.
That didn't happen, as injuries derailed his season.
In 2023, Brown threw for 3,292 yards while running for 809. USF averaged 32 points per game in 2024, their main problem was that they couldn't stop anyone.
It would be wise not to gloss over Brown.
LSU - Garrett Nussmeier
Last year, Garrett Nussmeier was able to inflate his numbers early in the season before he came back to Earth during the middle stretch of SEC play. Nine of his 12 interceptions came during a five-week stretch.
He didn't throw any interceptions against Florida, but he was harassed all day, and his time to throw off 3.01 seconds was his second-longest of the season.
There is a ton of upside to Nussmeier and he fits the mold of a typical NFL Draft pick for QBs.
The biggest problem for Nussmeier is that his deep ball doesn't hit with any consistency, and he doesn't have the legs to punish you if a play gets extended.
Miami - Carson Beck
The bulk of the metrics for Carson Beck paint a picture of a QB who wasn't necessarily terrible in 2024, but he wasn't great. As we know, against Florida, Beck had a meltdown and got bailed out by DJ Lagway getting hurt.
His time to throw in 2024 was the longest of his career, and as a result, the rate at which he took sacks on pressures also ticked up.
Miami paid big money, allegedly, to get Beck, but what 2024 showed is that if he faces any kind of pressure, he is going to struggle.
Texas - Arch Manning
We've heard about Arch Manning for the past two years, and there are already jokes in NFL circles to "March for Arch" and get the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but outside of small glimpses, we just don't actually know if Manning is going to hold up as a full-time starter.
His athletic ability is going to play a big role in his impact. Texas opens with Ohio State, followed by three G5/FCS teams before facing Florida, so we still might not have a full picture of Manning when he comes into The Swamp.
Texas A&M - Marcel Reed
Last year, Florida thought it was getting a break when Marcel Reed got the start when Conner Weigman was hurt the week before facing the Gators. That wasn't the case, as Reed engineered long drives that led to a mass exodus of The Swamp by halftime.
Reed went on to start eight games in 2024 and what made the Florida game stand out even more is that is was the only game he averaged over 10.0 yards per attempt.
Reed is a scrambler who does well to evade sacks, but he tends to want to run too soon at times, and he doesn't have a deep ball that is threatening.
Mississippi State - Blake Shapen
Last year, Mississippi State's offense caused some problems for Florida with Blake Shapen at QB, but he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in that game, and the season for the Bulldogs kept going south.
If we are being honest, Shapen is probably better than advertised. He can run and isn't afraid to get some yards after contact. Prior to getting hurt, he also hit his deep ball better than some other quarterbacks on this list.
Mississippi State is terrible as a team, and that's part of what is going to keep Shapen lower on SEC QB lists.
Georgia - Gunner Stockton
Gunner Stockton was considered a solid but not elite QB out of the class of 2022. His only meaningful action in three years was when he was inserted for Beck in the SEC title game against Texas and subsequently started against Notre Dame in the playoffs.
In the minimal action we got to see Stockton, he was essentially reduced to being a check-down merchant.
Stockton will have better talent around him than most on this list but he has to prove he can handle pressure in his face to not be a liability for Georgia.
Kentucky - Zach Calzada
The one-time Texas A&M commit who later transferred to Auburn and Incarnate Word, Zach Calzada might have the shakiest profile of anyone Florida is set to face in 2025, and that includes Greenwood.
He did lead Texas A&M in 2021 to a victory over then No. 1 Alabama, but he didn't play in 2022 at Auburn and has spent the last two years at the FCS level.
His numbers at Incarnate Word were solid, and as we know from Cam Ward it is possible to play at Incarnate Word and wind up being great, but his lack of FBS play over the past three seasons is going to be a question mark.
Ole Miss - Austin Simmons
Well, this game is set to be a bit of an awkward reunion. The one-time Florida commit who wound up reclassifying from the class of 2025 to the class of 2023 and, in the process, flipped his commitment to Ole Miss is set to take the reigns in Oxford.
Simmons hasn't seen the field much in two years, but he did notably lead a touchdown drive against Georgia when Jaxson Dart had an ankle injury.
Simmons has a big arm and has the potential to be a real thorn in the side of the Gators. Whether or not he will actually thrive as a starter remains a mystery.
Tennessee - Joey Aguilar
After swapping spots with Nico Iamaleava, the reality is that for all the flaws that Iamaleava has, Joey Aguilar might have a ton of the same flaws with a far lower ceiling.
Of note, Aguilar threw 14 interceptions last year while with App State. Against Clemson last year, he was 18 for 40.
If Florida has issues against Aguilar, it would be a telling narrative for how the 2025 season went.
FSU - Thomas Castellanos
After losing his job at Boston College, FSU took a look at Thomas Castellanos and said, "That's who we want."
The problem for Castellanos at Boston College is that he was sacked a ton. His time to throw of 3.27 seconds was the third longest in the country in 2024. 26.9% of the time, when he faced pressure, it turned into a sack.
That was the 7th worst rate in the country in 2024.
So, if FSU's offensive line looks like how it looked in 2024, it might be a long season for Castellanos.