Offense, defense and special teams helped the Gators come up with a much-needed victory at home against the LSU Tigers.
Florida football (5-5, 3-4 SEC) defeated the No. 21 LSU Tigers (6 – 4, 3-3 SEC) by a score of 27-16.
Quarterback DJ Lagway started for the Gators after missing last week’s game due to a left hamstring injury and threw for 226 yards and a touchdown in his return. Freshman running back Jadan Baugh exploded for a 55-yard touchdown run with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to ultimately seal the game.
With help from the defense to seal the game, despite their shakiness on third down stops, the Gators came up with a huge win to keep their bowl-eligibility hopes alive. Florida just needs a win against either Ole Miss next week or the Florida State Seminoles to make a bowl game this season.
Here are five key factors from today’s game.
Defense starts with a bang
Florida’s defense started out the game strong. On LSU’s opening drive, the Tigers moved the ball toward midfield and were faced with a 4th-and-1 situation.
LSU decided to go for it and ran a play toward the outside that was immediately shut down by Dijon Johnson which made the Swamp deafening.
Unfortunately for the Gators’ offense, they were forced to punt because they committed two consecutive penalties to start out their drive. So the great field position went to waste.
Gators bite first
Florida started their second offensive drive on their own 20-yard line and Lagway got away with an almost sure interception on his first attempt. The ball hit the LSU defender right in the hands but he couldn’t make the catch.
A couple of plays later, Lagway completed a 34-yard pass to receiver Chimere Dike that put the Gators at midfield. Then, running back Ja’Kobi Jackson had a big run for 20 yards that placed Florida right outside the red zone.
To cap off the drive, Lagway threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to receiver Elijhah Badger who was in one-on-one coverage that gave the Gators an early 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Defensive woes on third downs
Florida had a tough time defending the Tigers on their third down attempts.
Over the course of the game, LSU was 13-for-24 on third downs and converted four of them on their fourth possession alone which resulted in a 14-play, 84-yard drive that ended in a game-tying touchdown in the second quarter.
The third-down defensive struggles allowed the Tigers to construct lengthy drives which also allowed them to dominate the time of possession. LSU had the ball for 41:43 compared to Florida’s time of possession of 18:17.
LSU was 8-for-12 on third downs in the first half and it wasn’t like the majority of them were short distances either. A lot of these conversions were on 3rd-and-long situations. But luckily toward the end of the game, Florida’s defense was able to dial in when it mattered most and slowed down those third-down conversions.
Plenty of sacks to go around
The Gators’ defense was all over Garrett Nussmeier throughout the game, especially in the second half.
Florida had a total of seven sacks and it wasn’t just from a couple of players. The sacks were spread out among multiple Gators defenders.
It was certainly refreshing to see the Gators pass rush being as effective as they were today and it’ll be interesting to see if they can carry it over next week against a high-powered Ole Miss offense.
Special Teams delivered for the Gators
Florida’s offense struggled to find ways to get in the end zone today, but thanks to their fantastic play from junior kicker Trey Smack who kicked 2-for-2 that included a career-long field goal of 55 yards.
And let’s not forget about senior punter Jeremy Crawshaw who had all four of his punts inside the 20-yard line. In a game where field position was critical, the Gators special teams unit played a big part in their victory today.
Up next for the Gators
The Gators play their final home game of the season against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.
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James started last week against the Miami Hurricanes and had four tackles including a solo and a quarterback hurry. The 6-foot-5-inch, 267-pound edge defender is in his second season with the Gators. The Orlando native played in all 12 games last season as a freshman, primarily on special teams.
George started last week at right guard against Miami and had a total of 47 offensive snaps. The offensive lineman is in his second season with Florida after transferring from Alabama in 2022.
According to Pro Football Focus, his pass-blocking grade against the Hurricanes was 80.3 out of 100. He didn’t allow a sack or rush. But his run-blocking was graded 56.5 out of 100. So that’s an area that George needs to improve on.
Underwood is a veteran, playing in his fourth season with the Gators and serving as their long snapper. Underwood did record a tackle in Week 1 against Miami and played in every game last season.
Florida (0-1) will go up against the Samford Bulldogs (0-1) next Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
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The most competitive position room in Gainesville might be the edge rushers. Led by two veterans of the program, Florida has plenty of options.
Next up in Gators Wire’s position preview series is the edge corps.
Billy Napier says that the edge rushers might be the most competitive unit on the team heading into the season and it’s easy to see why. Two veterans are at the top of the depth chart for the ‘F’ position, and there’s depth at jack too.
If those position names are unfamiliar, don’t worry. They aren’t a part of the typical nomenclature football fans are used to seeing. The F, or fox, position is a hybrid of the outside linebacker and defensive end position that requires more versatility than the jack, whose strength is often against the run.
The fox needs to be able to drop back in coverage and act as an extra pass rusher when needed. It’s among the most complex positions in Florida’s defensive scheme, but it’s a sure marker of a modern defense.
Let’s take a look at every edge rusher on Florida’s roster. Check out Gators Wire’s other position previews for the 2024 season below.
There’s good news and bad news here. Two of Florida’s edge rushers are dealing with injuries to start the season, but one is close to making a comeback.
[autotag]Justus Boone[/autotag] tore his ACL a year ago and missed the entire 2023 season. It was a devastating injury to the unit, but now Boone is ready to return and is a clear team leader. We’ll have to wait for the official depth chart to see where Boone lands, but he’s expected to be one of the main faces up front for Florida this year.
In 2022, Boone played 282 snaps for Florida and earned a 73.2 overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus. His weak point was tackling (57.4), but Boone was the best coverage guy in the position room that year. If healthy, we could see him fit into the starting fox spot and Tyreak Sapp moves back to a true defensive end role.
“Boone has been one of the best leaders that we had,” Napier said. “Losing him last year was a big deal. Not only because of his production on the field and the depth issue there but also just his passion, his ability to affect people.”
Starting ‘F’: No. 94 Tyreak Sapp (R-Jr.)
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
Defensive Stats:
Year
GP
SOLO
AST
TOT
TFL
SACKS
INT
FF
FR
2022
13
8
12
20
0.5
0
0
0
0
2023
11
12
12
24
4.5-18
2-12
0
2
0
Total
24
20
24
44
5-19
2-12
0
2
0
[autotag]Tyreak Sapp[/autotag] is the other veteran leader of the unit and he’s close friends with Boone. The two are hoping to take the field together this year, but they might do a bit of switching off at the fox position to start the year.
He stepped up big time in the wake of Boone’s injury and is Florida’s best-returning edge rusher statically. Pro Football Fous gave him a 74.4 overall grade on defense, second only to Princely Umanmielen in the position room, and he was an excellent tackler (85.1) without giving up too much in other areas.
“Sapp and Boone were here when we first got here, and both have been awesome,” Napier said. “They have great practice habits. They bring energy. They’ve got personalities that I think rub off on the team and the group. Those two have been in the trenches together for a couple of years now.”
Similar to the F, there are two players in contention for the starting jack linebacker role, sophomores [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]TJ Searcy[/autotag]. Both played north of 250 snaps last season and excelled in different roles.
Collins is the better run defender and pass rusher, giving him an overall edge, but Searcy is an elite tackler and might be the best-returning edge in coverage. The platoon spells itself out here, but we could see both on the field together in theory.
The defensive line and edge rooms are a bit fluid, and Collins could even end up playing somewhere on the interior with [autotag]Jamari Lyons[/autotag] out for the year. That gives way to Searcy as the full-time jack and allows some of the younger guys on the depth chart to see the field too.
Backup ‘F’: No. 24 Kamran James (So.) or No. 17 LJ McCray (Fr.)
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
Kamran James:
Year
GP
SOLO
AST
TOT
TFL
SACKS
INT
FF
FR
2023
12
6
17
23
1.5-6
1.5-6
0
1
0
[autotag]Kamran James[/autotag] appeared in all 12 games for Florida a year ago, but mostly in a special teams role. James should see the field more often in Year 2 as a Gator, though.
James is one of the rare players who can fit in at both fox and jack, so he’s going to be in the second unit in some capacity. Pro Football Focus gave him a 62.5 defensive grade over 77 snaps last season.
Then there’s true freshman [autotag]LJ McCray[/autotag], a former five-star recruit who was considered the defensive crown jewel of Florida’s 2024 recruiting class. Players with that kind of hype are often told they’ll get early playing time, and it’s hard to see McCray not being a factor by mid-October.
It takes some time for the young guys to adjust to the speed of the college game, but McCray is going to get the chance.
Backup JACK: No. 34 George Gumbs Jr. (R-Jr.) and No. 44 Jack Pyburn (Jr.)
Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images
George Gumbs Jr:
Year
GP
SOLO
AST
TOT
TFL
SACKS
INT
FF
FR
2021*
4
0
0
0
0-0
0-0
0
0
0
2022*
7
0
0
0
0-0
0-0
0
0
0
2023*
12
15
17
32
6.5-20
3.5-15
0
2
0
Total
23
15
17
32
6.5-20
3.5-15
0
2
0
* = while at Northern Illinois
A former tight-end turned linebacker, [autotag]George Gumbs Jr[/autotag]. is certainly one of the more interesting players in Florida’s edge room. He’s often named among the players expected to see the field regularly this season, but he still needs some development.
Gumbs should line up on the weak side at jack for Florida behind Searcy. James might be ahead of him, too, but he’s still more likely to line up at the fox, at least until McCray gets his feet on the ground.
Jack Pyburn:
Year
GP
SOLO
AST
TOT
TFL
SACKS
INT
FF
FR
2022
8
3
0
3
0-0
0-0
0
0
0
2023
9
6
11
17
1-1
0-0
0
0
0
Total
17
9
11
20
1-1
0-0
0
0
0
[autotag]Jack Pyburn[/autotag] is also working his way back from a torn ACL, suffered in the middle of last season. He’s ready to return to game action, but he’ll be used in as a rotational backup to both positions similar to James. The injury should hold him back a little, but Pyburn made a name for himself as a strong tackler last year over 124 snaps.
[autotag]Ja’Markis Weston[/autotag] started off as a receiver for Florida before switching over to the defensive side of the ball a year ago. Entering his final year of college ball, Weston is set to be a designated pass rusher for Florida, according to Billy Napier.
The short of it is that Weston will enter the game on obvious passing downs and do what he does best, get after the quarterback. It’s not the most glorified role on the team, but it’s Weston’s path to playing football at the next level. He’s also going to remain in the gunner role on special teams.
“Ja’Markis was considering maybe pursuing the NFL last year,” Napier said. “We had quite a few conversations. I can still remember where I was at when he called me and told me, said, ‘Coach, I’m coming back,’ because I thought it was a big deal for our team.”
Quincy Ivory:
Year
GP
SOLO
AST
TOT
TFL
SACKS
INT
FF
FR
2023
8
1
0
1
0-0
0-0
0
0
0
Quincy Ivory joined the team last year as a JUCO transfer and saw all of two snaps as an edge rusher. That role should be increased this year, but it’s hard to see Ivory breaking into meaningful snaps anywhere but the special teams unit.
Walk-Ons: No. 36 Bryce Capers (R-So.), No. 45 Layne Swafford (R-Fr.), No. 55 Charles Emanuel III (Fr.), No. 59 Titus Bullard (Fr.) and No. 91 Tyreik Norwood (R-Sr.)
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
Florida has five non-scholarship edge rushers on its 2024 roster.
The senior-most walk-on is Tyreik Norwood, who is entering his seventh year in college athletics. He played four years with Kentucky Wesleyan before walking on at Florida in the fall of 2022. He’s yet to see the field as a Gator, but that might change this season. Napier likes rewarding loyalty, and FCS Samford in Week 2 could present the right opportunity.
Bryce Capers chose to attend Florida as a preferred walk-on in 2022 and ended up playing in three games as a true freshman while redshirting. He didn’t see the field at all last year, but maybe the pattern is every other year for him.
Redshirt freshman Layne Swafford is the final returning walk-on in the position room. He was another PWO who joined the program in the summer of 2023. No appearances yet, but Swafford still has four years of eligibility to see the field.
The two newcomers in the edge room are Titus Bullard and Charles Emanuel III. Both joined the Gators over the summer, so they are likely just scouting team players for now, but Bullard’s name should sound familiar. He’s the son of WWE Global Ambassador Thaddeus Bullard, better known as Titus O’Neil.
Yes, the younger Bullard was named after his father’s fictional persona on television, and he’s also the nephew of Earnest Graham.
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It might take a couple of games but expect to see Florida’s LJ McCray getting regular action by the middle of the season.
The Florida Gators have put a lot of stock in their recruiting efforts as [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. continue to rebuild a once-proud college football program and it appears that their work off the field is beginning to yield positive results.
The Orange and Blue saw a good deal of attrition through the NCAA transfer portal this past offseason but also reloaded its roster with some of the top prep prospects in the nation. Among them was [autotag]LJ McCray[/autotag], a five-star defensive end from the Sunshine State in the 2024 cycle.
ESPN’s Eli Lederman and Adam Rittenberg recently took on the task of predicting freshman roles for college football’s top 10 recruits which included Florida’s top-rated defensive lineman.
Florida’s DE position outlook
“Florida lost sacks leader [autotag]Princely Umanmielen[/autotag] to Ole Miss, but the Gators bring back the rest of their production at the position from last fall.
“Between veteran [autotag]Tyreak Sapp[/autotag] and sophomores [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]TJ Searcy[/autotag], Florida returns 73 total tackles and four sacks from a year ago, while redshirt junior [autotag]Justus Boone[/autotag] rejoins the Gators’ pass-rushing depth after missing last season with an ACL injury.
“Northern Illinois transfer [autotag]George Gumbs Jr[/autotag]. and sophomore [autotag]Kamran James[/autotag] present reserve options with experience.”
ESPN’s projection for McCray
“McCray signed with the Gators as one of the most physically impressive high school prospects in the 2024 cycle,” the authors note. “In his seven-plus months at Florida, McCray’s physical development has only bolstered confidence within the program that the five-star freshman can contribute this fall.”
That physical development appears to be elite and will be his ticket to success if he can connect all of the dots.
“He already has the body and the frame and the athletic ability and the tools and all that to allow him to be able to be considered to play early,” a team source told ESPN. “But he’s just worked hard over the summer and gotten stronger, developing his upper body. It takes a little bit of time at this level, but he’s physically far ahead of where a typical freshman would be coming in.”
The Gators have sufficient depth on the defensive line this season despite some losses, but there are also a lot of moving parts as well.
“Despite the blow of Umanmielen’s departure, Florida enters the season with capable depth on the edge,” they continue. “However, the Gators are already reshuffling on the defensive line following a preseason injury to defensive tackle Jamari Lyons, and McCray’s size and talent could make him difficult to keep on the sideline by the latter stages of his freshman season.”
While McCray might appear to be lower on the depth chart to start the season, do not be surprised if he quickly climbs in the early weeks.
“It’ll start off slow, but by midseason I think he’ll be out there,” a team source said. “He’ll be (used) sparingly early and then I would think he gets in there a lot. He’s a real guy.”
Florida’s season opener for 2024
The Florida Gators and No. 19 Miami Hurricanes square off on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida to open their schedule for the 2024 season. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC Sports.
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Here’s a look at five incoming freshmen On3 thinks will be something special in the Swamp.
The 2023 recruiting cycle is over, and after the dust settled, Florida football found itself just outside of the top 10 programs in the country in a majority of the class rankings. A tumultuous two months dealing with constant drama at the quarterback position left the Gators a bit short of their lofty expectations, but [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s first full recruiting class can still be considered a success.
The Orange and Blue failed to sign a consensus five-star prospect out of the prep ranks this time around but made up for it with a bumper crop of four-star standouts. Of course, everyone wants their team to get a top prospect to lead the way, but there is something to be said for acquiring quality across the board.
Below is a look at the five incoming freshmen that On3’s Nick del la Torre feels will be big-time contributors despite being overlooked by many. Included in the list are each player’s physical attributes as well as their high school rankings according to both the 247Sports composite and On3 consensus.
Eight players in Florida’s 2023 recruiting class finished the cycle ranked in the Top247.
247Sports updated its individual class of 2023 rankings, the Top247, one final time on Thursday, and the Florida Gators are bringing in a trio of top-100 recruits among plenty of other quality athletes.
Cornerback [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] leads the pack at No. 49 after moving up 23 spots following a strong postseason display at the Under Armour All-American game and practices. He’s the fourth-highest-rated cornerback in the class on 247Sports’ final board, and there’s plenty of reason to be excited about him as a Gator.
Defensive lineman [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag] just missed out on the top 50 at No. 53 overall, but he almost made as big of a jump as Jackson, moving 21 spots up the Top247. Another All-American game standout, Collins also shined at the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game to help boost his stock. He and Jackson could get early looks on the field at Florida and both enrolled early at the university.
Defensive lineman [autotag]Kamran James[/autotag] is the final Gators signee ranked in the top 100. Moving up 16 spots to No. 82 in the final Top247 update, James was one of the early gems Billy Napier and his recruiting staff identified and got to work on. He’s also enrolled early and set to be a part of a strong incoming defensive line class.
They rank wide receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] just outside of the top 100 at No. 108, up four spots from No. 112. He’ll be a major addition to a receivers room that’s losing a decent amount of talent to the transfer portal and draft. Offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag] is next at No. 147, a one-spot improvement from the last update. The Florida State flip should be on the interior of Florida’s offensive line and joins the team as it loses four of five starters.
Rounding out the group is a trio of Gators signees that saw their rankings dip since the last update. Defensive back [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] dropped from No. 152 to No. 160, wide receiver [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] fell from No. 189 to No. 202 and edge rusher [autotag]TJ Searcy[/autotag] went from No. 234 to No. 244.
Mizell’s senior year ended before it began because of injury, so that’s not on him. Johnson actually improved in rating from a 93 to a 94, but that didn’t save him from others who made bigger jumps at the last minute.
In total, Florida had eight players crack the 2023 Top247 and plenty of other four-star recruits that sit just outside. Not to mention quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] who would have led the group at No. 44 overall had he not been released from his national letter of intent.
Half of Florida’s 2023 recruiting class wound up in the On3 top 300 after the final update was released on Tuesday.
The Florida Gators already signed the bulk of its 2023 recruiting class, and the haul is looking even better than expected after On3 provided its last update to its independent rankings, the On300.
Ten of Florida’s signees cracked the top 300 and five players made it into the top 100.
Again, this is On3’s independent rankings, which is used to reach the more commonly cited On3 consensus or 247Sports composite rankings. Those are aggregate scores that use different formulas depending on the site and are used more often because they help eliminate any one service’s individual bias.
Several of Florida’s signees participated in All-Star games and boosted their stock with good performances against some of the top players in the class. The two most notable were cornerback [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag], who each moved up over 50 spots to break into the top 50.
Here’s a look at where each Florida signee from the class of 2023 finished in the On300 rankings.
With early signing day in the books, we now have a better idea of which members of Florida’s recruiting class of 2023 will early enroll.
Florida head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] went over a lot in his post-early signing day press conference, but one of the major points discussed was just how many of the 20 signees will enroll early. According to Napier, the bulk of the class should arrive in the spring.
Of Florida’s 20 signees, Napier expects 18 to be in Gainesville for spring practices. Rather than listing each name that plans to early enroll, it’s easier to list those who won’t: wide receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag].
Adding 18 players to the roster a few months early could be huge for Billy Napier and Co. The Gators are replacing a ton of talent after many draft departures, dismissals and transfers. Getting the new Napier-recruited talent on campus early means more time to teach them the playbook, system, etc. More practice time means a better shot at finding early snaps, too.
“The other thing that’s going to help is you’re going to have 20 players that start in January,” said Napier during his early signing day presser, “and I think that translates to more reps and more teaching and more opportunity to get orientated to the university and just life in general in college. But I do think that there will be a number of this group (that compete for early playing time). They’re going to have to earn it.”
It can’t be overstated how important it was for Florida to bring in a group of recruits that were willing to enroll early, and Napier did an exceptional job making sure everything went according to plan.
In case you’re looking for a full list of early enrollees, here’s a list of the players that should be coming to Gainesville in the spring:
Here’s what Billy Napier had to say about each player that signed with Florida during the early signing period.
Florida got 20 commits to sign during the 2023 early signing period, and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] had a lot to say about the class following all the action.
Napier spoke to the press Wednesday afternoon/evening after an hour-long delay that allowed quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag]’s name to be added to the list of signees. Florida’s head coach spoke in-depth about each player in the class and Gators Wire has compiled a list of everything that he said.
Coach Napier also tackled general questions about recruiting in-state, the role NIL plays, adding more players through the transfer portal and which member of the class of 2023 will early enroll.
The TL;DR is that Napier’s team feels very confident about each player that was added to the program on Wednesday, and there was a strong emphasis on what kind of home each player came from. Napier firmly believes that being raised by a quality family helps create quality student-athletes.
Here’s a full transcript of everything Napier said on Wednesday.
Florida is set to sign most of its 2023 recruiting class on the first day of the early signing period and Gators Wire is keeping track of it all.
The calendar might still read 2022, but the reality is that many of the top recruits in the class of 2023 are signing early and Dec. 21 marks the start of the early signing period. Florida is expected to bring in a strong class in Billy Napier’s first full cycle as head coach, but nothing is ever set in stone until the pen hits the paper.
The February signing date could bring in more names, but the core of the class is signing early and Gators Wire is keeping track of every move the team makes. There usually are some surprises, and Florida is in the hunt for several uncommitted targets set to make their decisions through Friday when the period comes to a close.
Each of Florida’s commitments below is listed in order of expected ceremony start time. As players sign their national letters of intent, the list will update to reflect Florida’s most recent additions.
