AUSTIN, Texas — When it was announced in May 2019 that Florida and Texas had agreed to play a home-and-home series, it was a big story in college football. Two of the sport's most storied programs going head-to-head.
Still, with the first game scheduled at The Swamp in 2030, and a return date at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in 2031, the matchups seemed so far away.
Of course, much has changed in the five-plus years since that announcement. The Longhorns are in their first season a member of the Southeastern Conference, and when the schools play here on Saturday at noon ET, the game will impact the SEC standings.
Meanwhile, it's the first time Florida (4-4, 2-3) has played at Texas (7-1, 3-1) since 1939, and the first time anywhere since 1940. It's only the fourth meeting between the schools and first in the modern era.
Gators head coach Billy Napier understands why the news five years ago stretched beyond the Texas and Florida borders.
"The population of the state, I just think you bring a lot more viewers to the table and certainly there's some history there with the program as well," Napier said. "A lot of great coaches, a lot of great players and championship teams so, for as long as I can remember, Texas has been a factor and one of those brands that has been a contender."
Speaking of Napier, he was in the headlines for entirely different reasons this week. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin, eager to put to rest all the speculation about Napier's future, wrote a letter to Gator Nation telling fans Napier will continue to be Florida's head coach this season and beyond.
Napier is 15-18 in his three seasons, but after a 1-2 start that included one-sided losses to Miami and Texas A&M, the Gators have shown drastic improvement despite a rash of injuries, especially on defense. In last week's game against No. 2-ranked Georgia, the Gators kept the game close even after quarterback DJ Lagway left in the second quarter with a hamstring injury (see below). Georgia pulled away for a 34-20 victory in the final minutes.
"As we've seen these past several weeks, the young men on this team represent what it means to be a Gator," Stricklin wrote. "Their resolve, effort and execution are evident in their performance and growth each week – building a foundation that promises greater success next season and beyond."
Florida is a heavy underdog Saturday and will need to play perhaps its most complete game of the season to upset the Longhorns. That is asking a lot for a team decimated by injuries and against an opponent playing to remain in contention for a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Maybe one day the Gators will do the same under Napier. For now, staying competitive and keeping the game interesting until the end would at least provide another sign the program has turned a corner.
In this edition of The Opening Kickoff, here is a closer look at the Florida-Texas matchup:
THREE STORYLINES
Florida QB DJ Lagway is questionable due to a hamstring injury he suffered in last week's loss to Georgia. That means walk-on freshman Aidan Warner, who transferred to UF from Yale, could make his first career start in a matchup against the fifth-ranked Longhorns. Warner was 7 of 22 for 66 yards and an interception after replacing Lagway against Georgia. He grew up in the Orlando area and played at Winter Park High. Meanwhile, Lagway was limited in practice and, based on Napier's tone Wednesday night after practice, seems a longshot to play Saturday. But if Lagway improves by kickoff and can play, that will undoubtedly boost Florida's chances. Should Lagway be unable to play and Warner struggles, Colorado State transfer Clay Millen will serve as the backup. Millen has not played for the Gators but started 10 games two seasons ago for Colorado State.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers has regained his spot atop the depth chart after getting injured midseason. Ewers threw for 288 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in last week's win at Vanderbilt. With highly-touted freshman Arch Manning on the roster, the Ewers-Manning storyline has filled countless hours on Texas talk radio after Manning started two games with Ewers sidelined. Ewers enters the Florida game with 7,045 career passing yards, and needs just 53 to pass former NFL QB Chris Simms for sixth on the school's career list.
The Gators opened a brutal final month of the regular season with a 34-20 loss to No. 2 Georgia in Jacksonville, and now face the No. 5 Longhorns on the road. The speculation surrounding head coach Billy Napier's future (see above) was silenced for the moment by Florida AD Scott Stricklin announcing Thursday that Napier would return for the 2025 season. The Gators have played hard for Napier and shown improvement over the past month. Could the latest news provide the boost they need to pull an upset? The odds are long considering the mounting injuries, but in what has already been a season full of surprises, anything seems possible.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cornerback Cormani McClain has been forced into extended action in the wake of injuries to Florida's secondary. (Photo: Jordan Perez/UAA Communication)
If DJ Lagway can't play, Aidan Warner is at the top of this list for Florida. Warner had only appeared in mop-up duty in the wins over Samford and Kentucky before stepping onto center stage last week against Georgia. It was not pretty, and still the Gators were tied 20-20 midway through the fourth quarter. The final verdict was delivered when Warner threw an interception deep in UF territory on the drive that followed the Bulldogs' go-ahead score. The Longhorns are the nation's top-ranked defense, surrendering only 241.3 yards per game, so Florida's offense is going to be tested with or without Lagway.
Florida's secondary took more hits in the loss to Georgia with injuries to cornerbacks Devin Moore and Dijon Johnson. Moore is listed as out, a big loss considering he has interceptions in back-to-back games. Meanwhile, Johnson is questionable after going down in the second half against the Bulldogs. The Gators are already without starting CB Jason Marshall Jr. Redshirt freshman walk-on Cormani McClain, a transfer from Colorado, has gone from sideline spectator to key contributor in the past two games, including an interception return for a touchdown against Kentucky. McClain figures to take on even more snaps Saturday.
Texas sophomore LB Anthony Hill Jr. (6-3, 235) is a dominant player the Gators must keep out of the backfield for the offense to function properly. Hill has a team-high 58 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 sacks. In 22 career games, Hill has already amassed 18 TFLs and 10.5 sacks.
THREE QUESTIONS WITH … GATORS RB JA'KOBI JACKSON Ja'Kobi JacksonIn his second season with the Gators, Jackson transferred to UF from Coahoma (Miss.) Community College. He played in high school at Pensacola Catholic.
Q:How do you feel your season is going? A: This season has been pretty good for me. Just learning the system and just trying to do whatever. When my number's called, I just try to show up and do what I do. That's it, really.
Q:Was playing at Florida always a goal growing up in Pensacola, where Emmitt Smith is from? A: I wouldn't say I always want to play at Florida. Yeah, I just wanted to play SEC in general. I just want to play in the best conference, because, like, out of high school, I always felt like I was that good. So, like, that's all I wanted to do was experience playing in the SEC.
Q:By taking the long route, what was the experience like going through junior college to get here? A: The challenge, really, was just like being away from home, seven hours away, just out on my own. So, like that really gave me a better look at life, a great perspective of just how to grind and be out on my own. I was 18, and that really helped me a lot. So, now I just really understand life better and just try to do what I do, grind. It led me to get here to grind. That's what I've learned.
THREE DIGITS
7 – Combined national championships between Florida (1996, 2006, 2008) and Texas (1963, 1969, 1970, 2005). 2,200 – Career receiving yards for Gators WR Elijhah Badger, tops on the team. 20 — Losses for the Gators in their last 24 games away from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, starting with the 2020 SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
The Gators are 0-2-1 all-time against Texas, tying 7-7 in Austin in 1924, and losing 12-0 in 1939 in Austin and 26-0 at home in 1940.
Florida coach Billy Napier and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian have led teams against each other one previous time, a 38-18 Longhorns victory over Napier's Louisiana team in the 2021 season opener.
Gators WR Elijhah Badger, who is listed as questionable for Saturday's game, has caught at least one pass in 34 consecutive games.
Texas announced Thursday that WR Johntay Cook II, a five-star signee in the 2023 recruiting class, is no longer a part of the program. Cook had eight catches for 137 yards and two TDs on the season.
Texas has 955 all-time victories, which ranks second to Alabama (971) for most in SEC history.
Sarkisian is 21-4 with the Longhorns over the last 25 games after starting his tenure 11-11.
Florida's Devin Moore, Aaron Gates and Jack Pyburn had interceptions against Georgia, marking the first time since 2019 that the Gators have recorded three or more picks in back-to-back games. They had three against Kentucky the previous game.
The Gators are 4-0 in their first games against new SEC opponents since 1992, defeating South Carolina, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Missouri.
Texas leads the SEC with 12 interceptions, topped by senior DB Jahdae Barron, who has returned three picks for 66 yards. Barron is a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award given annually to the nation's top defensive back.
Gators DB Trikweze Bridges has 19 tackles in the past two games and now leads the team with 42. Bridges has started the past three games after coming off the bench in the first five.
WELCOME BACK
The Gators have not played at Texas in 85 years, their last game in Austin coming in 1939. Times have changed. The Gators departed Gainesville on a Wednesday night by train according to news reports in September 1939. They made a stop in Mobile, Ala., to practice on Thursday, then arrived in Houston on Friday. They bussed from Houston to Austin for the game, losing 12-0 to the Longhorns (see below) …
The front of the Tampa Tribune's sports section on Oct. 1, 1939. (Photo: Newspapers.com clipping)
THEY SAID IT
"I think he's trying. He's a competitor. You think about him, he's going back to his home state. He wants to try to find a pathway to make this work. Obviously, it's touch and go. Look, the guy's giving it his best shot." — Gators head coach Billy Napier on the possibility of DJ Lagway playing
"I thought Quinn had a good week. He looks fresh. He looks healthy. He's really delivering the ball well. I like his base that he's operating with. Thought he was really intentional with his feet, with his base, against Vanderbilt." — Texas coach Steve Sarkisian on QB Quinn Ewers
"I can't wait. It's my first time going back to Texas playing. I have a little chip on my shoulder. I'm going to have a lot of family I haven't seen in a while down there, so I'm going to play my butt off for them. I wasn't a Texas fan growing up, but I do know about Texas fans, and they are crazy, man." — Gators TE Hayden Hansen, who is from Weatherford, Texas
THEY WROTE IT Many opinions on the Gators' announcement Thursday …
Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian addresses offensive woes as his team prepares to face Florida writes Thomas Jones of the Austin American-Statesman.
WHY FLORIDA WILL WIN
If the Gators pull an upset, it will start on defense and in the running game. If Warner starts, look for the offense to resemble the one the Gators had with Graham Mertz at quarterback, a balanced attack built around the run game and a mid-range passing game. Running backs Jadan Baugh and Ja'Kobi Jackson produced against Georgia's talented defense, which provides hope against the Longhorns' top-ranked unit. Meanwhile, the Gators have picked off six passes in the past two games and will need to force turnovers to have an opportunity to win.
WHY TEXAS WILL WIN
Ewers picks apart Florida's injury-depleted secondary for a big early lead and the Gators are left trying to catch up in the passing game. That's probably the worst-case scenario for the Gators. Texas has the top-ranked defense among FBS schools and has allowed only 92 points all season. If you're looking for hope, 54 of those have been allowed in the last two games — a 30-15 loss to Georgia and last week's 27-24 win at Vanderbilt. On the flip side, if the Longhorns dominate defensively, look for the Gators to come home even more bruised and battered.
