Where Florida Lands in ESPN's FPI After Week 0

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hugh Green | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 4:45 PM ET

The 2025 college football season is firmly underway. With this, head coach Billy Napier and the Florida Gators are less than a week away from kicking off their year. Napier is set for his fourth season at the helm in Gainesville and enters this season with his highest expectations yet.

Florida was ranked No. 15 in the preseason AP Top 25, marking the first time the Gators have graced this ranking before a season since Napier took over.

On Sunday, ESPN updated its FPI rankings, labeling every FBS team in the country based on computer analytics. In these rankings, Florida jumped five spots since the preseason rankings were released in June.

Napier and Florida are ranked No. 13 in ESPN's FPI ahead of Week 1. This is a five-spot jump from where the Gators placed in June. Napier's team is also the ninth-highest ranked SEC team in the rankings, landing behind several bitter rivals.

Florida is coming off a 2024 season in which it went 8-5, including a four-game winning streak to end the year. This was the first time the Gators finished with a winning record since Napier became head coach in 2022.

Much of the Gators' success last season was due to the emergence of star quarterback DJ Lagway. As a freshman in 2024, he went 6-0 in games he started and finished, threw for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns. He earned FWAA Freshman All-American Team honors with this stellar play.

As the undisputed starting quarterback in 2025, Lagway hopes to have an even better season. If Lagway can improve in his sophomore year, Napier and Florida look to make a push for a College Football Playoff birth.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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