The spring signifies a lot of things: a much-needed time change, the blooming of irises in Gainesville’s swamps and the ability to hear music blaring any direction within half a mile of the Heavener Football Center. The latter would be because the Gators are back on the field.
Florida football opened spring practice on Thursday, beginning five weeks of activity that eventually culminates with UF’s spring game on April 12. The Gators are looking to build off an 8-5 season that they concluded with four consecutive wins, much to the credit of freshman quarterback DJ Lagway.
UF’s star contributor leads the way entering 2025, with the Gators’ success likely remaining contingent on how far his arm can take them. However, that limb — more specifically, Lagway’s shoulder — won’t be doing anything right now.
Here are three storylines to follow after Florida’s first two spring practices.
Lagway remains armless
There isn’t a lot that comes from spring practices in modern college football. The media only sees players practice for brief 15-minute periods. Only certain players and coaches speak, uttering cliches they’re prompted to memorize. The days pass aimlessly as position battles remain largely undecided.
However, Florida head coach Billy Napier strayed from the norm on Thursday morning.
“I think our intentions here are to be very smart,” Napier said. “[Lagway will] be limited in throwing activities, but he’ll participate in all practices otherwise.”
While the rising sophomore quarterback expressed discomfort with his throwing shoulder last season, there was no indication he sustained an injury until Napier’s abrupt announcement to start spring practice. The UF head coach explained that Lagway would remain a practice participant, but merely would avoid throwing the ball. Napier noted that Lagway might also assist with signaling plays to work on his understanding of UF’s offense.
The latter wasn’t noticeable through 15 minutes of availability during each of Florida’s Thursday and Saturday practices, but the Gators only participated in one rotation of positional drills. However, on both days, Lagway went through the same motions each of the other quarterbacks did during each drill – but without releasing the ball.
“Growth and comfort can't coexist,” Napier said. “So I think for him we're pushing the envelope, trying to make him uncomfortable."
While Florida’s staff hopes to challenge its signal caller, the timetable for Lagway’s recovery remains unclear. It’s entirely possible he won’t throw during the spring.
An evolving offense
When UF concluded its Senior Day against Ole Miss on Nov. 23, the future of Florida’s offense faced a lot of questions. The Gators were slated to lose senior wideouts Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike, their top two receivers from last season, along with 2023 leading rusher senior running back Montrell Johnson Jr.
Florida had already accounted for Johnson Jr.’s departure with the return of rising sophomore Jadan Baugh and redshirt senior Ja’Kobi Johnson, who combined for 1,182 yards and 14 touchdowns last year. The receiver replacements were initially a place of worry, but those concerns have dissipated after two practices.
“The young guys we signed at receiver, I mean, holy cow," new Florida offensive coordinator Russ Callaway said. "Those guys are really good players, but they're extremely hard workers, right? I have not seen a young group like this.”
The “guys” he was speaking of? Five-star freshmen receivers Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III. The duo has looked the part across Florida’s two practices, quickly adjusting to the flow and pace of UF’s regimen, multiple Florida coaches said.
Their additions come in tandem with the signing of redshirt senior UCLA transfer J. Michael Sturdivant and the return of rising junior receiver Eugene Wilson III, who led Florida with six receiving touchdowns in 2023, from injury. The group is positioned to be one of the best in the SEC, which allows Florida to diversify the personnel sets it puts on the field — something Napier has avoided thus far at UF.
“At the end of the day, the best players are gonna be on the field, bottom line,” Callaway said. “We're trying to get the best players the ball in space as quickly as possible, but we also want the matchup to be right. So we want to get our strongest link on their weakest link."
Getting an edge
Florida’s defensive line saw a couple of departures similar to its receiving group following the 2024 season, but for a different reason. Edge rushers Justus Boone, TJ Searcy and Jack Pyburn entered the transfer portal, each choosing different SEC locations for 2025.
UF has largely kept things in-house to replace them. The Gators plan to lean on redshirt senior edges Tyreak Sapp and George Gumbs Jr., while junior Kamran James will supplement.
“Just in general, we've been very pleased," Napier said about the group’s progression. "Kam James and Gumbs being the two that took a huge step. And then here comes Sapp being the steady, kind of alpha vocal leader."
Sophomore LJ McCray has worked his way into the pass-rushing conversation as well. He entered 2024 as a five-star recruit, placing only a slot behind Lagway in 247Sports' national recruiting rankings. However, he didn’t play extensively last season.
This spring, McCray has made a slight position adjustment from defensive end to JACK, a four-down position. Florida’s coaching staff expects the extended role to let the sophomore take advantage of his unique athletic skill set in a way he couldn't last season.
“LJ is an impact player,” co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts said. “He’s extremely talented… When you put him on a tight end, he’s a physical mismatch.”
Contact Noah White at nwhite@alligator.org. Follow him on X @noahwhite1782.
Noah is a Spring 2025 Assistant Sports Editor and Copy Desk Chief. He's a second-year journalism major who enjoys reading and shamefully rooting for Tennessee sports teams. He is also a Liberty League Women's Soccer expert.
