Well, the post Billy Napier up-and-down cycle fortunately continued to the end of the season.  Florida bounced back from it’s putrid performance the previous week against Tennessee and routed Florida State 40-21 Saturday.  It had to be cathartic for all of Gator Nation – for at least 1 week – to take out all the frustration and disappointment from a miserable 2025 season on the Seminoles, with the added bonus of denying them a bowl game.

The Gator offense kept it fairly simple, and fortunately executed the game plan to near perfection.  It was – finally – the Jaden Baugh show, as he ripped through FSU’s defense for 266 yards and 2 TDs on 38 carries.  The monster game made Baugh the 10th Gator RB with over 1,000 yards in a season, and the 3rd underclassmen to do so.  It was what everyone had been begging for all season, and finally the staff let it happen.  Despite the Seminole defense recognizing early on that Baugh was going to be heavily featured, they were powerless to stop him, and were beaten down by both Baugh and the O-line.  Watching it unfold live was especially satisfying, as the FSU defenders visibly wore down and eventually gave up trying to tackle Baugh head on as the game progressed.  DJ Lagway was efficient with 15 completions for 168 yards and 3 TDs.  Two of the TD throws were set up by play fakes to Baugh, allowing TEs Tony Livingston and Hayden Hansen easy receptions for scores.  WRs J Michael Sturdivant and Aiden Mizell contributed with some clutch drive-extending receptions.  It was a complete performance from start to finish and the most fun the players and fans had experienced since the upset win over Texas in October.

Florida’s defense played a solid game, despite having to once again overcome a myriad of injuries both coming into and occurring during the game.  FSU QB Tommy Castellanos hurt the Gators a handful of times with his legs on designed QB draws, which was disappointing to see after the defense had 11 games of tape to study and know it was coming.  He also was bailed out a few times with some ridiculous catches by his WRs, or else the final result would have been even uglier for the Noles.  The secondary did an excellent job on WR Duce Robinson, limiting him to only 3 receptions.  It was again all hands on deck, as senior safety Alfonso Allen, freshmen safety Lagonza Hayward, and freshman CB Ja’Vari Flowers filled in admirably.  Flowers played most of the game with a wrap on his right forearm which hindered his tackling ability, but he toughed it out in extended action.  The front seven played well, getting pressure on Castellanos and repeatedly winning at the line of scrimmage to disrupt the other FSU ball carriers.  DT Caleb Banks looked much better than the previous week, his first after missing most of the season due to foot surgery.  His leadership was apparent, as the DL and LBs played with aggressiveness and energy all game.  True freshman Edge Jayden Woods was a beast, harassing Castellanos all game while racking up a sack and other tackles for loss.  LBs Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles played sideline-to-sideline, repeatedly coming up with big plays.  The defense overall allowed only one true extended drive – and made two critical 4th-down stops to give the offense short fields that led to touchdowns and kept the Gators in the lead the entire way.

Now comes the offseason, with Florida welcoming it’s 5th head coach in the 15 years after the departure of Urban Meyer.  Jon Sumrall comes in from Tulane, after building that program into a Top 25 team the past 2 seasons.  He comes from the same conference and with an eerily similar record as Napier, but the hope is that he actually understands the importance of professional and accomplished coordinators and assistants.  He actually seems to have a pulse and shows some fire on the sidelines, a complete departure from the buzzkill that was Rural Meyer.  He has a huge task ahead of him – building out the roster, trying to keep the handful of key players, and starting to rebuild the Florida brand.  I wish him the best, but Gator Nation needs to be patient, as Napier, AD Scott Stricklin, and the UAA have essentially torn the program down to where it was before Charley Pell took over in 1979 – it’s that bad.  I hope that the money saved from aborting the Lane Kiffin pursuit will be used on filling out a legit SEC-quality coaching staff, and that the same additional funds promised to Kiffin for talent acquisition are given to Sumrall and his staff. 

All the best to Coach Sumrall, and here’s hoping for better days ahead for the program.  It’s time to flush away the entire Napier Error, and look ahead to the challenges of 2026 and beyond.

Go Gators!