Florida Given High Praise in College Football Expert's Preseason Poll

Steele placed Florida at No. 10 on his list, landing behind the SEC-rival Georgia Bulldogs, Oklahoma Sooners and Texas A&M Aggies, who are Nos. 7-9.

"The DJ Lagway era is in full effect in Gainesville, with Gator fans all around the state ready to crown him as the Heisman winner this season," Steele said. "As a freshman in 2024, Lagway passed for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns in relief of an injured Graham Mertz."

The former five-star recruit and No. 1 quarterback in the country for his class, per 247Sports, Lagway excelled last season after Mertz went down. While he appeared in all 13 games, the dual-threat signal caller went 6-1 in seven starts, leading the Gators to four straight victories to end the season, including a Gasparilla Bowl win.

"Florida‘s leading rusher Jadan Baugh is back, along with talented receiver J.Michael Sturdivant (UCLA) coming through the Transfer Portal," Steele continued. "In what may be a make-or-break year for head coach Billy Napier, a push for the CFP would be massive for the program."

Baugh will again be a big part of Florida's offensive attack in 2025 after rushing for a team-high 673 yards and seven scores as a freshman last year. Sturdivant was a FWAA First Team All-American in 2022 with the California Golden Bears before putting up 912 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions across two seasons with the UCLA Bruins.

As Napier and the Gators head into the 2025 season with high expectations from many around the sport, it will be interesting to see if they can live up to the hype.