![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier on the sidelines in the second half at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Cyndi Chambers/Gainesville Sun]
Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs Usf Bulls](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_234,w_1661,h_934/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/213/01kwprrfvc4t5t78dw21.jpg "Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier on the sidelines in the second half at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Cyndi Chambers/Gainesville Sun]
Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs Usf Bulls")
It’s the 4th of July, and Gator fans all across the country are going to be partaking in lighting fireworks tonight and/or peeking out their window as their neighbors launch fireworks into questionable hours into the night.
Earlier today, in the spirit of the holiday, we highlighted the most explosive players on Florida’s roster for the 2026 season. But as we all know, just because one lights a firework doesn’t mean it will explode. Sometimes a firework can be a dud.
With that in mind, we are going to look at all of Florida’s sports from the 2025/26 season and look at some of the biggest dud moments from the past year.
Florida’s biggest duds from the past year
Football vs USF
It is somewhat comical to look back at the 2025 season and think that Florida was viewed as a dark-horse playoff contender. That firework was officially extinguished when USF came to town and upset the Gators in The Swamp. Billy Napier would soon be asked to leave the building after this loss.
Soccer vs FSU
Speaking of coaches who were fired in 2025, we here at Hail Florida Hail have touched on the sad state of affairs of Florida’s soccer team over the past few years. And whatever hope one had for Samantha Bohon to turn things around was immediately squashed in Florida’s regular-season opener when the Gators were smashed 5-0 against FSU.
Football vs Georgia
After Napier was fired, there was still this glimmer of hope that things would look different to close out the season. And against Georgia, it felt like the Gators were in a position to pull off a massive upset and change the vibes for good. But unfortunately, DJ Lagway’s deep pass never reached the arms of a slipping J. Michael Sturdivant, and Florida failed to pull off the upset.
Basketball vs Duke
This was a gut punch because it felt like, for a fleeting moment, Florida had stormed back in Cameron Indoor Arena and was going to walk off with an all-time regular season moment after Boogie Fland hit a shot that Florida hadn’t been hitting all season. Then a failed switch on the defensive end led to an open Duke three, and that was that.
Basketball vs Iowa
Everything felt like it was in place for Florida to make another run to a national title, but the expected fireworks were supposed to be in the Elite Eight against Houston in Houston. That firework never happened as Florida failed to pull away from Iowa, and then a defensive breakdown led to a wide-open three that made the Gators' season end in a dud.
Softball vs Texas Tech
The warning signs were there that Florida Softball would fall short of the WCWS, as its pitching depth had fallen apart. And when the bracket came out, Florida was given a date with Texas Tech. Looking back at that series, even if one removes all the off-the-field drama, Florida had a real shot at winning game one, but another pitching collapse left the Gators with no answers, and Florida would ultimately lose in run-rule fashion in game three.
Baseball vs Troy
Florida’s season ended in the biggest dud possible, and what made their ousting so frustrating is that everything was set up for the Gators to make as easy a run to Omaha as they could ever ask for. They had two shots at beating Troy, with the winner facing Little Rock in the Super Regionals. Instead, Florida’s pitching collapsed and its season ended.
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