Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators
- Commitment Burn Barometer
- Mock Signing Class 5.0
- Early Entry Review: Woods’ name rang out
- Getting to Know: Daniel Pierre Louis
- Getting to Know: Onis Konanbanny
- Post-Spring/Transfer Portal Ranking of Florida position-by-position
- Getting to Know: Byron Louis
- First Five off the Bus
- 15 Pre-Spring Class of 2026 Out-of-State Names to Know
- 20 Pre-Spring Class of 2026 In-State Names to Know
- Impact Analysis: Where Florida Football Signees Come From
The summer is flying by, and the Florida Gators’ 2025 campaign is quickly approaching. As the players and coaches prepare for their August 30 kickoff against Long Island, Inside the Gators’ staff members took stock of the roster to break down our list of the ’25 most valuable players’ for the 2025 season.
It is based on who we believe are the 25 most valuable players. These are not necessarily the best players, but the most valuable in relation to the team having a successful 2025 season.
Christian Alvis, Lance Williams, and Mark Wheeler compiled their list of the 25 most valuable Florida players, combined them, assigned a point value (25 points for a #1 vote down to 1 point for a #25 vote), and here’s how the final tally worked out (ballots and points in parentheses).
Note: The ranking isn’t based on a straight points system (25 points for a #1 placement down to 1 point for a #25 placement). A consensus mattered more, so one person’s opinion didn’t carry more weight than the group as a whole. This way, a player who appears on all three ballots, but has fewer overall points, will be higher than a player who appears on two ballots with more points.
| Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII |
| Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV |
THE 25 MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS FOR 2025
No. 20-Jamari Lyons (2-ballot | 19-points)
- Position: Defensive Tackle
- Class: Junior (RS)
- Size: 6-foot-4, 308-pounds
Alvis Analysis: Defensive tackle Jamari Lyons had a solid year in 2023 but was sidelined the entirety of the season in 2024 due to a broken ankle. When he gets back in this lineup, the interior line of Caleb Banks and Lyons is going to be a force. (Voted: No. 14)
Lance’s Last Word: Florida hopes to replace sensational nose tackle Desmond Watson with Jamari Lyons. The redshirt junior was a highly touted recruit out of high school, but it’s difficult to project the production of someone who did not see the field in 2024. (Dissenting Opinion: UR)
On the Mark: If you go back to 2023, I said then, and I’ll restate it now, on a per-snap basis, I thought Jamari Lyons might have been Florida’s most impactful interior defensive lineman. All he did was make plays when he was on the field. How does sitting out the 2024 season impact him? Will it take a while for him to find his footing and get in a groove? If he does, he could be a name most are sleeping on who could help take this defense to the next level. (Voted: No. 19)
No. 19-LJ McCray (3-ballots | 9-points)
- Position: Edge
- Class: Sophomore
- Size: 6-foot-6, 268-pounds
Alvis Analysis: Defensive lineman L.J. McCray has a lot riding on this season. He got playing time in every single game last season and only had 0.5 sacks. McCray was a top 5 recruit in the country last cycle and needs to start showing it. But the level of talent we know he has is why I have him on the list, and I do think he will have a solid year. (Voted: No. 21)
Lance’s Last Word: Can LJ McCray live up to his hype as 247’s No. 1 defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class? McCray was a backup and special-teams’ piece last season. Maybe he’ll live up to his pedigree in 2025. (Voted: No. 23)
On the Mark: In most cases, you realistically don’t expect much from a true freshman lineman in the SEC. However, when said lineman is a five-star, overall Top 10 prospect in the nation, it’s safe to say that more was expected from LJ McCray than he was able to deliver. Having seen him in high school and 7-on-7, he has the frame and is a plus athlete at his size (he runs as smoothly as any big man in his class), but it didn’t always feel like the game had his full attention. When he turned it on, he was borderline unstoppable. We’ll see whether or not he has his engine revved up this season. (Voted: No. 25)
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