D.J. Lagway, Billy Napier just made Florida's transfer portal pitch that much easier

Arguably no team in the country closed the regular season hotter than Florida. After a brutal start that made Billy Napier's firing seem all but inevitable, freshman QB DJ Lagway helped spark a remarkable turnaround: The Gators ripped off wins in each of their final three games, including home upsets over LSU and Ole Miss. With Lagway around for at least two more years and a star-studded recruiting class on the way, suddenly the future started to look very, very bright.

Of course, this is college football in 2024, and that means that your success is only as good as the next transfer portal window. While conference rivals like Ole Miss, Auburn and others load up their rosters for 2025, Napier needs to do the same if he wants to turn this young team's potential into an SEC title run next season. Luckily, the team had a Gasparilla Bowl appearance against Tulane on Friday to serve as an advertisement for the direction of the program — and boy did they ever take advantage.

Florida's bowl blowout of Tulane positions Billy Napier for a huge offseason

The Gators didn't get off to the best of starts. Lagway threw a brutal interception in the end zone late in the first half, and Florida took just a 6-0 lead into the locker room against a Green Wave team down to its third-string QB due to portal departures.

Just like they did in the regular season, though, Napier's team finished strong. Lagway wound up throwing 305 yards and Florida outgained Tulane by over three yards per play, scoring 27 second-half points to turn a competitive game into a 33-8 laugher. The offense was as balanced and deadly as ever, while the defense put the clamps on an outmanned unit, harassing Tulane's Ty Thompson into three interceptions.

Florida certainly looked the part of an SEC contender in 2025. But perhaps even more importantly, they made it look fun. Any recruit (or player currently in the portal) weighing whether they want to be a part of Napier's program had to come away thinking it would be a blast; at one point late in the fourth, Napier even allowed 449-pound defensive tackle Desmond Watson to convert a third-and-short as a running back.

Granted, an exhibition game in mid-December against a team that's been decimated by transfers isn't the most meaningful data point. But every little bit counts, and being a head coach in 2024 means you're always pitching yourself to somebody. Florida made a big statement with how it closed the year (and how Napier closed on the recruiting trail), but a lot of those good vibes would've been wiped away with a lackluster bowl performance. Now, though, Napier can rightfully argue that the arrow is pointing straight up.