"It's different" - Urban Meyer points out if DJ Lagway-led Gators can win a national championship under Billy Napier 

Florida coach Billy Napier will be entering his fourth year with the team in the 2025 season. The Gators are considered one of the dark horses to win the national title in the upcoming season with DJ Lagway as their quarterback.

On Wednesday, former Florida coach Urban Meyer offered his take on whether the Gators can win the championship under Napier, with Lagway leading the team's offense.

"Year, I think it's different," Urban Meyer said Wednesday on the "Triple Option" podcast. "Expectations are relative. Expectations are current. You know, it changes. There is a time when Miami and Florida, anything other than a national title, was a failure. And now that's not the case at all. So, there have been expectations, all relative to the current time period. "I think they might get back there someday. When I got there, absolutely... The expectations were SEC championship, and that's a hard a** conference, man. So, I think it's a much different animal in 2025 than it was in 2005. I like their coach and I like their quarterback. That's a good place to start," he added.

(from 1:03:42 mark onwards)

Meyer won two FBS national titles during his six-year spell at Florida. He also coached at Bowling, Utah and Ohio State, compiling a 187-32 record throughout his college coaching career.

Billy Napier will be hoping DJ Lagway makes a strong recovery from injury before the start of the 2025 season

Florida Gators HC Billy Napier - Source: Imagn

Florida coach Billy Napier will be hoping that DJ Lagway can make a full recovery from his shoulder injury before the 2025 season begins. The QB was limited in practice during the offseason but still has two months for his rehab.

Lagway took over as Florida's QB1 in 2024 after Graham Mertz picked up a season-ending ACL injury after five games.

He completed 115-for-192 passes for 1,915 yards with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. He also posted 101 yards on 50 carries and had a 6-1 record as a starter.

It will be interesting to see if Lagway can improve on those numbers next season.

How do you think the Florida Gators will fare next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Edited by Veer Badani