Napier has the most offensive options that he's had at UF

George (70), Slaughter (66) and Harris (77) are the strength in the middle of the O-line (Photo by Chris Spears)

“You can prevent your opponent from defeating you through defense, but you cannot defeat him without taking the offensive.” – Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”

Offense really hasn’t been Florida’s problem in Billy Napier’s first three seasons. The Gators would have finished with winning records in seasons one and two if they had simply won a couple of shootout games. A year ago, the defense finally figured things out and the offense did its part although injuries prevented it from being as explosive as it might have been.

Year four promises to be a completely different story. The defense should be better and that should prevent the Gators from having to win games via shootout, but even if the defense has one of those no show games, the offense will be the best Napier has had.

The reason? Napier has more options than he’s ever had. The Gators have the talent to win whether it’s an everybody out for a pass attack or ground and pound. This is the best offensive line Napier has had and they’re perfectly capable of giving DJ Lagway adequate time to throw or line up and impose their will on the other team’s front seven. There isn’t a better center in the country than Jake Slaughter, who has a legitimate shot at becoming Florida’s first Rimington Award winner since the great Marquise Pouncey. Austin Barber at left tackle has first round written all over him and guards Knijeah Harris and Damieon George Jr. are beastly. The only newbie is right tackle Bryce Lovett, but he started three games last year at right guard and showed enough in the spring that Rob Sale has confidence to move him outside. The backups are huge and there isn’t a lack of talent.

An O-line like that lends itself to balance and that is going to be the reason why the Florida offense will be as good as there is in the SEC. Napier has never had the options he will have this year but it does start up front. No matter how sophisticated the offenses and defenses get, football will always be about blocking and tackling. The tackling should be much improved. The blocking should be impressive.

Their job will be keeping DJ Lagway’s jersey clean. The recent calf injury set the national media into a dither, but Napier didn’t seem to panic in the least. He knows what he has in Lagway, who is a proven quick healer, but people tend to forget that backup Harrison Bailey is a former 5-star QB who has started SEC games in the past. If Lagway is injured, Napier will lose a once-in-a-lifetime arm, but this Florida team can flip the switch to more of a grind it out attack.

Those of you old enough to remember, think back to the 1984 season. When Dale Dorminey tore an ACL just days before the season opener with 1983 national champ Miami, the Gators had to go with redshirt freshman walk-on Kerwin Bell. The offense went more conservative as a result. The Gators only threw the ball 209 times in 11 games, down 100 passes from the year before. Kerwin threw for 16 touchdowns while averaging 8.8 yards per attempt. Behind the Great Wall of Florida, the Gators went beast mode with the 3-headed running back unit of Neal Anderson, John L. Williams and Lorenzo Hampton, all future No. 1 draft picks who combined for 2,402 yards. The Gators pounded teams into submission, won their last eight games and finished 9-1-1.

Should Lagway go down for a game or even more, you can figure the Gators will go beast mode like they did in 1984. Bailey won’t be called on to throw nearly as much and the Gators will turn to Jadan Baugh, Ja’Kobi Jackson, Treyaun Webb and KD Daniels to run behind that big, talented O-line. The Gators will be able to shorten games, effectively playing defense with the offense with ball control.

Of course, a healthy Lagway and Florida’s offense is good enough to keep opposing defensive coordinators up all night every night before playing UF. Who do they intend to stop? Passing game? The Gators will simply run it down their throats. Running game? Load the box and Lagway will go over the top to guys like J. Michael Sturdivant, Dallas Wilson, Tre Wilson, Vernell Brown III, Aidan Mizell and Tank Hawkins.

There is reason to like Florida’s possibilities for 2025. Even with a schedule that ranks among the most difficult in the country, there isn’t a team the Gators can’t beat. Napier has the talent and the experience to turn this into a season to remember.

WILL ARCH MANNING WIN THE FIRST SYDNEY SWEENEY AWARD?

There is no such award. Yet. There could be, however.

No question Sydney Sweeney has nice jeans, which she wears in the American Eagle ad campaign. She also has nice genes. You can’t look like her if a ton of your genes were drowned in the pool.

Enter Arch Manning. He has nice genes, too. Those who saw him play at Ole Miss shudder to think the kind of numbers grandpa Archie Manning could have put up in today’s wide open offenses that go 4-wide and turn defenses into picket fences. Archie’s kids – Peyton and Eli – did pretty well too. None of their genes got drowned in the pool, although we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the fact that Peyton was 0-4 against the Gators.   

Now we have Arch, heir of the Manning legacy and the expected Moses who will lead the Texas Longhorns to the Promised Land of college football. Sporting News has already proclaimed him the next great thing by making him their first team preseason All-American quarterback.

Now Arch has a world of talent. It would be all but impossible not to have skills with that kind of gene pool and two years of coaching by Steve Sarkisian. Some think Sark is the best play caller in all of college football. He took Texas to the College Football Playoff with The Mighty Quinn (Ewers) at quarterback a year ago. He threw for 3,472 yards and  31 touchdowns in 2024 although he did complete 12 passes to the other team. He also fumbled with just less than five minutes to go and the Longhorns teetering on the verge of tying up Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Jack Sawyer ran it back for a touchdown that clinched the semifinal win that sent the Buckeyes into the national championship game.

Arch isn’t supposed to do things like that. He’s a Manning. He has great genes, which has everything to do with why he’s getting all this hype even though he’s only started one game in his collegiate career. Arch has plenty to do with why Texas is ranked No. 1 in the preseason. Anything less than a national championship will be a disappointment for the Longhorns. Only God has more money than the Longhorns, who would gladly punch a few more oil wells into the West Texas desert if they thought it would give them enough Yankee spending dollars to buy the first national championship since 2005 and just the second since 1970.

If the Longhorns win the national title and Arch does what Arch’s genes say he’s supposed to do, then he should be the winner of the first Sydney Sweeney Great Jeans/Genes Award.

SEC FOOTBALL

Alabama: Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack says redshirt sophomore Qua Russaw is the ultimate freak on the Bama defense. As a redshirt freshman last year, Russaw had 36 tackles, two interceptions, one sack and a forced fumble.

Arkansas: Running back Mike Washington is expected to carry the rushing load for the Razorbacks. The 6-2, 228-pound Washington ran for 725 yards and eight touchdowns last season at New Mexico State. In four seasons of college football, two at Buffalo and two at New Mexico State, Washington has run for 1,844 yards and 18 touchdowns while catching 45 passes for 244 yards and two more TDs.

Auburn: Former Gator Chris Doering of the SEC Network named Auburn’s Eric Singleton Jr. and Cam Coleman among his five best receivers in the league for 2025. Singleton is a Georgia Tech transfer who caught 56 passes for 754 yards and three TDs last year. As a true freshman last year, Coleman caught 37 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns.

Georgia: Georgia lost out on 5-star home state linebacker LaDamion Guyton, who has committed to Texas Tech. The deciding factor for Guyton was an NIL deal that will pay him $900,000 as a true freshman.

Kentucky: The Wildcats look to have a 5-man rotation at linebacker in Alex Afari (6-2, 228), Daveryn Rayner (6-2, 217), Landyn Watson (6-1, 245), Grant Godfrey (6-3, 233) and Antwan Smith (6-3, 215).

LSU: HBC Brian Kelly says quarterback Garrett Nussmeier does not have an ACL injury but instead is suffering from patella tendonitis. “We have not amputated his leg,” Kelly said Friday.

Mississippi State: Canon Boone seems to be the leader in the competition for the starting center job. Luke Work, who started seven games last year as a true freshman, is getting most of the work at right guard. Albert Reese and Jacoby Jackson look to be the starters at the tackles.

Missouri: Wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. has been named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list. A season ago at Mississippi State, Coleman caught 74 passes for 932 yards and six touchdowns.

Oklahoma: Injured running backs Jaydn Ott and Deion Burks have been dressed out in pads but haven’t been doing contact work. Jovontae Barnes and Tory Blaylock have been the only two fully capable running backs in practice so far.

Ole Miss: Linebacker Tyler Banks is the recipient of the Chucky Millins Courage Award. Mullins, who was paralyzed after a hit in a game against Vanderbilt in 1989, wore No. 38. The winner of the Mullins award wears No. 38, which is considered one of the highest honors for an Ole Miss football player.

South Carolina: Defensive end Jatius Geer and offensive lineman Rodney Newsom Jr. were not dressed out for the Gamecocks’ Friday practice.

Tennessee: Corner Jermod McCoy has returned to practice. McCoy tore an ACL last year and is ahead of schedule on his rehab.

Texas: Archie Manning says Arch Manning won’t be heading to the NFL Draft after the 2025 season. Agreeing with that assessment is ESPN analyst Damien Woody, who said, “It’s all about just getting reps, getting snaps. We see the correlation. A lot of these guys that come into the league that play a lot more games, like a Bo Nix. It’s not a coincidence that a guy like Bo Nix had a lot of success. Jayden Daniels played a bunch of games in college. He comes into the National Football League and has a lot of success. So I don’t think the Manning family is going to sway off of that. They’re going to play a bunch of games… so they’re naturally prepared for what’s coming at the pro level.”

Texas A&M: Former Aggie coach Jimbo Fisher, who is being forced to squeak by on the $75 million Texas A&M paid him when they fired him after the 2023 season, is interested in getting back into coaching. “If the right situation comes along and it’s right,” Fisher said on a podcast. “I’m still 59. I’m still in great shape. I’m healthy. I’ve had success everywhere we’ve been. At the end with A&M, it’s unfortunate, but we also had the highest-ranked team they’ve ever had there in 2020.”

Vanderbilt: Quarterback Diego Pavia thinks Vanderbilt has what it takes to shock the world this year. “I think we’ve got the tools (offensively) and defensively to go put our foot forward and win the national championship,” Pavia said. That’s the standard.”