Thoughts of the day: August 3, 2025

DJ Lagway (2) steps into a throw (Photo by Chris Spears)

A few thoughts to jump start your Sunday morning:

Monday morning Billy Napier will have a chance to update the health of quarterback DJ Lagway, but if the stretching and warmup periods that were made available to the media Saturday are any indication, those who were holding their breath can exhale. Lagway wore a compression sleeve on his left leg but moved easily and apparently with no pain whatsoever. When he threw the ball there were no signs of leftover pain from shoulder surgery in the offseason.

Lagway’s quick, concise throwing motion makes the ball seem like it’s coming out of his ear, almost as if he’s throwing a dart. He was accurate, hitting his receivers in stride  with plenty of zip on the ball. His best throw was a deep shot down the East sideline to Tre Wilson. There was nothing at all in the way of accuracy, tight spirals or delivery that would indicate any carryover from a missed spring or shoulder issues.

Taking reps behind Lagway were Adrian Warner, who finished the Georgia game and started against Texas last year, Louisville transfer and former 5-star recruit (to Tennessee) Harrison Bailey and freshman Trammell Jones.

Back from injuries were D-linemen Caleb Banks and Jamari Lyons, STAR Aaron Gates and safety Bryce Thornton. In non-contact jerseys were linebacker Grayson “Pup” Howard, nose tackle Michai Boireau, running back Treyaun Webb, wide receivers Kahleil Jackson and Muizz Tounkara, O-linemen Tavaris Dice Jr. and Enoch Wangoy and corners Jameer Grimsley and Dijon Johnson.

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Billy Napier and his coaching staff have three weeks to get the Gators ready for a brutal September. On paper, this is the best Florida football team in years. From a talent standpoint, the Gators have what it takes to win every game on the schedule. Every team has weaknesses, but if you probe the UF roster there may be only a handful of teams in the country with fewer weaknesses than the Gators.

The Gators have the look of a team that can win 9-10 games but they could be derailed if they start believing the hype or suffer a rash of debilitating injuries. As well as Napier has re-stocked the roster from where it was when he took the UF coaching job, the Gators aren’t yet in the plug-and-play mode that you see at schools like Georgia and Ohio State, so Napier has to walk a very fine line in August. He has to push hard to build cohesion and get the team ready for as difficult a schedule as there is in the SEC. Push too hard and you risk injuries and mutiny in the locker room. Go too easy and the team won’t be prepared.

If Napier gets it right and there are no devastating injuries this is a team capable of contending not just for an SEC championships but for a national championship. The Gators are that close.

ELSEWHERE IN. THE SEC  

Alabama: Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb says it isn’t feasible to name a starting quarterback. It’s a 3-way battle for the starting job among redshirt junior Ty Simpson, redshirt sophomore Austin Mack and true freshman Keelon Russell … Center Parker Brailsford and tight end Danny Lewis missed Saturday’s practice to participate in graduatlion ceremonies.

Arkansas: Strength coach Ben Sowders revealed earlier in the week that quarterback Taylen Green played through a knee injury the final seven games of the 2024 season. During Green’s recovery he added 10 pounds of muscle. A year ago, Green threw for 3,154 yards and 15 touchdowns while running for 602 and eight TDs … D-lineman Donovan Whitten, O-lineman Aaron Smith and long snapper Zach Haber have been awarded scholarships.

Auburn:  Many media outlets proclaim this is a make or break year for HBC Hugh Freeze. On a Birmingham radio show Friday, Auburn AD John Cohen said three factors will determine if Freeze will be around another year after 2025. Cohen said,  “Number one, the coach, no matter what happens, has to still have the ear of the locker room. Number two, kids have to get better. You have to point to individual kids getting better. Because if individual kids get better, you’re going to have a better football team. And then, three, are you recruiting at a high level?”

Georgia: Offensive lineman Jahzare Jackson is still with the team even though he was arrested in July for felony possession of marijuana. HBC Kirby Smart says Jackson is being disciplined internally. Jackson is 6-10 and 348 pounds. Per Saturday Down South he has not played competitive football since he was in middle school .,. Illinois transfer running back Josh McCray was noticeably absent when Georgia held its first full day of practice.

Kentucky: AD Mitch Barnhart expects the Southeastern Conference to decide whether to stick with an 8-game league schedule or expand to nine when all the ADs meet later in August. Barnhart said that when making the decision, “There’s an economic component to it, as it relates to television, for sure. I think that decision obviously has to come pretty quickly. We’ve got athletic directors meetings in August. There’s probably a pretty good chance that’s on the docket and then some decision comes out of that” … Incarnate Word transfer QB Zach Calzada made what were called several highlight reel plays while working with the first team offense Saturday.

LSU: Apparently redshirt sophomore Tyree Adams (6-7, 310) has solidified his hold on the left tackle position. Right now, the LSU O-line looks like LT Adams; LG DJ Chester; C Braelin Moore; RG Josh Thompson; RT Weston Davis … Wide receiver Aaron Anderson missed Saturday’s practice. HBC Brian Kelly said they’re trying to keep Anderson healthy.

Mississippi State: Redshirt freshman Luke Work has been taking the snaps as the No. 1 left tackle.

Missouri: Apparently Penn State transfer Beau Pribula isn’t a lock to be the starting QB. HBC Eli Drinkwitz includes Sam Horn and freshman Matt Zollers in the mix for the top job. “They’ve all done some really good things and some really dumb things,” Drinkwitz said of his three QBs after Saturday’s practice.

Oklahoma: Sophomore CB Eli Bowen isn’t available to practice. He missed all of spring camp after starting seven games last season. Bowen had 26 tackles, one interception and four pass breakups a season ago.

Ole Miss: Missouri State (D1AA) transfer Tahj Chambers has added 20 pounds of muscle (to 235) since January and is looking like he will be in the mix for a starting job. Chambers had 88 tackles last season at Missouri State.

South Carolina: Running back Rahsul Faison has been cleared to practice but still no words from the NCAA if he will be eligible for the 2025 season. Faison, who transferred to South Carolina from Utah State, gained 1,109 yards and scored eight touchdowns last season at USU. He enrolled at Marshall in 2019 and also spent three years playing juco ball before spending two years at Utah State.

Tennessee: Josh Heupel says there is no timetable for the return of corner Jermod McCoy, who is rehabbing an ACL torn early in the offseason. Heupel says McCoy is making solid progress in his rehab but wouldn’t specify an anticipated date for his return. As a sophomore a year ago McCoy was in on 44 tackles with nine pass breakups.  

Texas: Wide receiver Ryan Wingo and right guard DJ Campbell both missed practice Saturday for “personal reasons.”

Texas A&M: Defensive back Dalton Brooks, who had 59 tackles with one sack, three pass breakups and an interception, was arrested for a misdemeanor charge involving a car crash … Right now the Aggie O-line is LT Trey Zuhn; LG Chase Bisontis; C Mark Nabou; RG Ar’maj Reed-Adams; RT Demetrious Crownover.

Vanderbilt: Martel Hight returns at corner and the No. 1 punt returner, but he will also line up at wide receiver.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT

I keep waking up early in the morning thinking that there is still such a thing as the Pac-12, that the Big Ten didn’t do something goofy like expand to add Washington, Oregon, Southern Cal and UCLA and the ACC didn’t go totally bonkers by adding Stanford, California and SMU. I keep wondering why is it the Big 12 now stretches from Arizona to West Virginia and all the way down to Orlando.

Then my head clears and I realize I was only dreaming that adults are in charge of college football.

We have never had a time like the present when strong leadership is necessary to save college sports from the tug-of-war that is going on between the inept NCAA and the networks. The NCAA is run by academics who are clueless about the business end of college sports. The networks, and in particular, ESPN, believe that if enough money is thrown around they will wrestle away control of college sports. As much as I hate the idea of the academics in charge of college sports, I hate even more that ESPN will gain more control. Football is already at the mercy of ESPN, which controls most of the Saturday viewing along with the College Football Playoff.

I keep waiting for someone or some organization to come forward with new, bold ideas that can save college sports from the weight of the NCAA bureaucracy and the control freaks at ESPN. There are problems that need solving now, but neither the NCAA nor ESPN seems to have the wherewithal to provide practical solutions.