![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier and Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) watch during spring football practice at Heavener Football Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 6, 2025. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_95,w_5098,h_2867/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01k2cz4nde3watyw4dh7.jpg "Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier and Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) watch during spring football practice at Heavener Football Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 6, 2025. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]")
After years of struggle, the Florida Gators are finally back in the AP Top 25 as the first preseason poll has been released. The Gators come in ranked No. 15, which is fair with how their 2024 season went. After a rough start, Florida was able to finish the season strong and create some hype for their performance in 2025.
The return of quarterback DJ Lagway certainly is a big deal when it comes to Florida's ranking, and it seems his apparent leg injury, which has been deemed minor, didn't affect the Gators too much for the AP to rank them any lower. It seems like being middle of the board at No. 15 gives the Gators a good benchmark and motivation to move higher.
BREAKING: Preseason College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/O9s1jHORyn pic.twitter.com/reBHuc3tL8
— On3 (@On3sports) August 11, 2025
Being back in the Top 25 is huge for the Gators after years of struggle, and it comes with a lot of motivation to stay there. Florida is expected to do some big things in the 2025 football season, and now with a ranking to back up all the talk, they have the added motivation, but all the pressure to stay there.
There have been many people, from those in the SEC to college football analysts like Kirk Herbstreit, who believe this is the year for the Florida Gators. After ending the 2024 season on a three-game win streak in the regular season, which included an upset win over No. 14 Ole Miss and a win in the Gasparilla Bowl against Tulane, the Gators have the right kind of momentum heading into the 2025 season.
The injury to Lagway certainly was a big scare for fans, but now that it was deemed a minor injury and he should be good to go for the start of the season, fans can be excited again. Lagway is not the only star on this team, as the Gators have a solid defense coming back and a better offense to support the young quarterback.
The only scare for Florida right now is the wide receiver room as there have been a couple of injuries reported, but with roughly three weeks until the start of the season, there is hope the Gators will be a full strength when they kick off against LIU on August 30.