Florida showing up to SEC Media Days with a little bit of quiet confidence? Didn’t exactly see that coming. After going 5–7 last year and with the No. 1 toughest schedule in college football ahead of them, you’d expect a team to be cautious, maybe even a little guarded. But instead, Billy Napier and the Gators sounded locked in. Not hyped. Just focused.

“The next 40 days are going to be critical,” Napier said. And honestly, that might be the most telling thing he said all week. And it wasn’t just Napier saying the right things, it felt like the whole group was on the same page. Is that enough to turn things around? Who knows. But it didn’t feel forced. They talked about the process, about last year’s lessons, and about where things are now. It all sounded different this time.

On3’s J.D. PicKell broke down what Napier said during the SEC Media Days. “The theme,” he said, “was internal belief phase two.” Napier’s message wasn’t fluff, the coach was saying, “We built it, we’ve stuck to our plans, and now we trust the process.” Last year’s late-season surge wasn’t luck; it was proof. And while PicKell wanted to see more before anyone predicts playoffs, he stressed that belief matters. “You don’t play a college football game and hope you win during the week… If you’re hoping, you’ve already lost.”

Against that backdrop, the Gators’ devilishly difficult 2025 schedule looks less like a burden and more like a challenge. ESPN actually ranked Florida’s slate as the toughest in college football with road games at LSU and Miami, plus home showdowns with Texas, Georgia, and Texas A&M, all among Top 25 opponents. But Napier welcomed it. “To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” he said. Facing giants means nothing less than proving you belong.

“Like Billy Napier, when he got the job at Florida, it was a very difficult situation… This is not a furnished apartment he’s moving into,” Pickell said. And he’s right. In Napier’s first season (2022), only 12 players remained from the 2021 roster with major turnover, nearly 140 players initially on scholarship, then drastically trimmed. Since arriving in Gainesville, Napier has posted a record of 19–19 over three seasons (6–7 in 2022, 5–7 in 2023 and 8-5 in 2024).

It’s not the kind of numbers Gators fans are used to seeing, but it’s also hard to judge a rebuild this early, especially when you’re inheriting a program that’s been cycling through instability since Dan Mullen’s final year. With 2025 shaping up to be a make-or-break year, Billy Napier’s fourth season may finally show whether the foundation he’s been laying can stand tall against the SEC’s toughest. And with that in place, it’s time to bring in two key leaders who could turn belief into reality.

All eyes on DJ Lagway and Caleb Banks to anchor Florida’s next phase

DJ Lagway, the 6 feet 3 inches, 239 pounds true freshman, threw for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 2024, plus another 101 rushing yards, earning Gasparilla Bowl MVP honors. On defense, towering 6 feet 6 inches, 325-pounder DT Caleb Banks recorded 21 tackles and 4.5 sacks last season, positioning himself as an SEC interior force. Both are expected to be vocal leaders in 2025.

Now let’s hear from PicKell on what these two could mean for the Gators. “If DJ Lagway can take that next step and own that part of this whole equation with being a leader for Florida or whoever you want to point to, Caleb Banks, if he’s that guy, at that point, that’s where you start to flywheel. That’s where good things really happen for folks in Gainesville,” he said. “There’s no half stepping for Florida in 2025.”

So, where does that leave Florida heading into 2025? Still with questions. But Billy Napier isn’t promising miracles; he’s asking fans to trust the slow progress. The schedule isn’t doing them any favors, but maybe that’s the point. If Florida’s going to get back to being Florida again, there’s no better proving ground than the SEC’s gauntlet. And from the sound of it in Nashville, they’re not backing down.