The 2025 Florida Gators are in the rear-view mirror, and most fans are grateful for it. It was a group distinguished by poor performance, which resulted in Billy Napier’s dismissal. While this may all turn out to be addition by subtraction, 2025 Gators football did happen.
Here are three players who disappointed the fans in 2025:
DJ Lagway, quarterback
Where do we begin here? This was meant to be Lagway’s breakout year. The year that he established himself as one of the finest quarterbacks in the country, a true Heisman candidate, and a prospective first-round choice in the NFL Draft. Instead, the offseason was hectic, with worries about his injuries and whether or not he would undergo surgery. And how this absence of time throwing and practicing with his teammates would impact him and the Gators offense. Lagway and the Gators’ attack never got off the ground, and the quarterback deteriorated. How much of this was on him and how much was due to Billy Napier’s mishandling of him is still up for discussion. Lagway had a bad season, with poor body language for the majority of it. Lagway joined the transfer market and hinted at a move to Florida State before opting to play the 2026 season at Baylor. How he performs with the Bears may answer numerous inquiries.
Aidan Mizell, wide receiver.
The Gators wide receiver room had a sufficient number of injuries, notably Dallas Wilson, to allow Mizell to truly step up and become a top playmaker in the pass game. Instead, he struggled with the injury bug throughout the season and never found his stride. Mizell’s stats declined slightly from the previous year, despite the fact that he might have increased them. Mizell switched to UCLA following the season.
KD Daniels, running back
Daniels was in a similar situation as Mizell, with the possibility of stepping up and making an immediate contribution to the Gators offense as a sophomore. When Ja’Kobi Jackson got down with an upper-body ailment during the Miami game, Daniels had the chance to develop a powerful running back tandem with Jadan Baugh, but he never took the ball and ran, at least not as much as he should have. Daniels rushed for 120 yards on 28 carries this season before transferring to Wake Forest.
