Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators
- Injury Update: Banks is back, Wilson still out
- Recruit Reaction: The USF coach texted me after the game
- Watch & Read: Napier will continue to call plays
Here are five Florida Gators football players who are in the spotlight, and on the spot, to perform this week against No. 3 LSU.
DJ Lagway
The start of the 2025 football season has been a little lackluster for DJ Lagway. Now, don’t get me wrong, he hasn’t exactly been playing badly; he just hasn’t played, well, like DJ Lagway. Even though he is just a sophomore, Lagway is seen as the X-factor for this Florida Gators team. He’s going to be the guy to make plays and be the difference maker between a win and a loss against some of the really good teams Florida has on their schedule. So, if Lagway doesn’t play well, the Gators probably aren’t going to win that game. Lagway has the opportunity for a big bounce-back spot against LSU, and on Saturday, Florida fans get to see if he steps up and starts looking like the Lagway fans saw last year.
Eugene “Tre” Wilson III
If you had to look at what LSU has done best so far this season through two games, it’s shutting down the run game. Through two games, the LSU defense has only allowed 89 total rushing yards, and the run game has been the bread and butter for the Gators so far. Although I do think Jadan Baugh will find some success, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Tigers shut down the run game completely. That’s why it feels like Tre Wilson is due for a big game this week. He was the favorite target of Lagway last week, catching 7 balls for 60 yards and a touchdown. If Florida has a chance to take down LSU, it will probably need a big day from Wilson.
George Gumbs Jr. and Tyreak Sapp
George Gumbs Jr. and Tyreak Sapp are kind of lumped in together because the Gators need a big day from both of these guys in Baton Rouge. The defensive line for Florida was said to be one of the best groups on the field all offseason, and so far, it has disappointed, to say the least. Going against the likes of Long Island University and USF, the Gators have only recorded 2 sacks so far this year, which ties them for second-to-last in the SEC. Gumbs Jr. and Sapp have got to start making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable. LSU allowed the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs to sack Garrett Nussmeier three times last week, so Florida will need to do at least that.
Billy Napier
The last person on the spot this week is none other than the head coach of the Florida Gators, Billy Napier. To say that the fans are upset with Napier would be an understatement; they are furious. With the loss last week to USF, Coach Napier is now 20-20 through 40 games at UF, and he is now going into a four-game gauntlet. The Gators will start with LSU on the road before going to Miami, coming back home to play Texas, and then getting right back on the road to play Texas A&M. To even survive the rest of the season, I think Napier might have to go 3-1 over that stretch, and it starts with LSU in Death Valley.
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