Gators at No. 14 in Joel Klatt's preseason top 25
Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt revealed his preseason top 25 Monday on The Joel Klatt Show and the Florida Gators came in at No. 14. To Klatt, most of Florida’s success in 2025 is centered around the health of starting quarterback DJ Lagway (more on Lagway from Gators Online HERE).
Here’s his take on UF …
“As we get into the top 15, this is a team I’ve got to put a little bit of a caveat on. When I first did this, this team was 10th. Then, news starts trickling out. And you give it a little bit more of a second look. And you’re like, man, why is there always news about [quarterback DJ Lagway] being banged up? Fourteen is Florida.
I think Florida is unbelievable. Maybe not unbelievable—I think they’re really good. They’re a borderline great team. And this DJ Lagway injury-prone offseason for Billy Napier has me concerned. They went 8-5 a year ago, won their final four. They beat LSU, Ole Miss, FSU, Tulane. They had it going a little bit. But then, all of sudden you look up and it’s like, well, if Lagway’s not healthy then I don’t love what they’re doing. If he’s healthy, then I love them, they’re a top-10 team.
To Joel Klatt, UF’s season is all on the health of DJ Lagway
Look at it this way, if Lagway is out there like he was a year ago, they’re a top-10 team that went 6-1 when he started football games. And the one loss, he left the game after an early first-half injury in which they had the lead over Georgia. So if Lagway is healthy, top-10 team. If he’s not, the schedule is brutal and that’s the bottom line with Florida.
I love their roster. Napier has done a heck of a job. They’ve got a four-game stretch where if Lagway is healthy for this four-game stretch in September and October, they’ve got a chance. But if not, yikes, they might lose all four of these. … at LSU, at Miami, Texas at home, at Texas A&M. Then, later in the year they still have Georgia, at Ole Miss, and Tennessee. Brutal schedule. If he’s healthy, they can manage it.”
Penn State is Klatt’s preseason No. 1.
Joel Klatt preseason Top 25 rankings
1. Penn State
2. Texas
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Oregon
6. Notre Dame
7. Georgia
8. LSU
9. Alabama
10. Michigan
11. South Carolina
12. Miami
13. Illinois
14. Florida
15. Kansas State
16. Texas A&M
17. Indiana
18. Arizona State
19. Texas Tech
20. Iowa State
21. Ole Miss
22. Iowa
23. Baylor
24. Oklahoma
25. Utah
