It has been almost a month since the college football transfer portal closed to new entrants, but since then, there has still been a fair amount of movement in the NCAA’s de facto free agency system.
Of course, there are still over three months before the opening kickoff of the 2025 campaign, but that has never slowed down the sports media when it comes to their preseason predictions. Among those who have updated their initial numbers is The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel, who recently ranked the top 25 college football teams after the spring transfer portal window.
Thanks to a strong finish to the 2024 season, led by quarterback DJ Lagway and steered by coach Billy Napier, the Florida Gators find themselves among the preseason top 25 for the first time in a few years. However, there was not much activity in Gainesville during the portal window, which led to a drop in the Orange and Blue’s ranking, falling from No. 11 to No. 12.
Here is what Mandel had to offer on the topic.
12. Florida (Previous: No. 11)
Familiar faces: QB DJ Lagway, RB Jadan Baugh, C Jake Slaughter, DE Tyreak Sapp, DT Caleb Banks
Notable spring additions: None
“Billy Napier only took five transfers between the winter and spring windows and expects major contributions from his freshman class,” Mandel begins.
“Early enrollee WR Dallas Wilson set a Florida spring game record with 10 catches for 195 yards. While the talented Lagway is the biggest reason for so much optimism around the Gators, they’ll also be strong in the trenches. Slaughter, OT Austin Barber, Sapp and Banks are all garnering early first-round NFL draft buzz.
The Athletic’s college football top 25 after spring
Texas (Too-early 2025 ranking: 2)Penn State (Previous: No. 1)Clemson (Previous: No. 5)Ohio State (Previous: No. 6)Notre Dame (Previous: No. 3)LSU (Previous: No. 4)Georgia (Previous: No….
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Publish date : 2025-05-24 19:21:00
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