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Florida football picked up another win off the field, landing a talented wideout in the transfer portal. In a year that sometimes looked like it would be Billy Napier's last in Gainesville, the Gators have rallied around their embattled head coach. Florida won three straight games to close the season, clinching its first winning record since 2020. The Gators are now seeing the fruits of this late-season surge in the transfer portal and added UCLA wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant.
Hayes Fawcett of On3 confirmed the junior's move to Gainesville on Thursday. Sturdivant has caught 123 passes for 1,667 yards and 13 touchdowns in his three-year career. The former 4-star recruit will be able to contribute right away and significantly help Florida quarterback DJ Lagway. The Gators should ultimately enter 2025 as a dangerous team that few programs in the SEC will want to see pop up on their schedule.
Billy Napier's days in Gainesville looked numbered…until they weren't
Billy Napier has had a tumultuous three years as the Florida football head coach. The Cookeville, Tennessee native has compiled a record of 18-19 overall and 10-14 in the SEC. That win-loss total does not meet the Gator standards, and it's clear that if the program does not significantly improve in 2025, Napier could be on his way out. The good news is that Florida showed significant signs of playing up to the jersey name at the end of the year.
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Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin controversially pledged his loyalty to Napier after the Gators' 4-4 start to the year. At that time, it looked like the program was going to post a third straight losing season under its head coach. The Gators were looking at three consecutive matchups against ranked teams and then a rivalry game at FSU. Surprisingly, Florida ended up winning three out of four of those games, which included a playoff-eliminating upset of No. 9 Ole Miss.
The common denominator for Florida during this surge has been the presence of DJ Lagway. The duel-threat freshman was a former 5-star recruit for the class of 2024 and showcased that talent, especially his explosive arm, throughout the year. Lagway was ultimately named the full-time starter after Graham Mertz suffered a torn ACL against Tennessee.
The Gators have gone 4-1 in games where their freshman phenom has started under center. That one loss was against No. 2 Georgia. In this game, Florida was up 10-3 when DJ left the contest with an injury. Overall, Billy Napier clearly has his quarterback of the present and future in Gainesville, and now it's crucial to surround him with as much talent as possible.
Florida will lose star wideouts Chimere Dike and Elijhah Badger after its bowl game against Tulane on December 20. The Gators must, therefore, continue adding talented offensive players like J. Michael Sturdivant this offseason. Billy Napier has built up a lot of goodwill over this past month with the fans, but there's still a lot of work to be done.
