Joel Klatt admitted he is "concerned" for the team he has at No. 14 in his preseason college football rankings.
Joel Klatt ‘Concerned’ For Team He Has No. 14 In Preseason Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
After the preseason Coaches Poll was released, college football analyst Joel Klatt revealed his preseason top-25. In it, he had the Florida Gators at No. 14 with Penn State at No. 1.
Florida, fresh off an 8-5 year, is now handing the keys to quarterback DJ Lagway. After Graham Mertz's season-ending torn ACL, it was Lagway's show, and he delivered with a 6-1 record in seven starts.
However, Lagway nursed a shoulder injury in the spring and was seen recently wearing a boot due to a calf issue.
As a result, Klatt is somewhat concerned about Florida, despite its ranking.
Joel Klatt “Concerned” About DJ Lagway’s Offseason
On Tuesday, Klatt discussed Florida's ranking, and he revealed there is some concern due to Lagway's injury.
"I think Florida is really good, they are a borderline great team," Klatt said. "This DJ Lagway injury-prone offseason for Billy Napier has me concerned. They went 8-5 a year ago...They had it going a little bit."
"If DJ Lagway is healthy, they're a Top 10 team. If not, the schedule is brutal."
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) August 5, 2025
More from @joelklatt on what could make or break his Preseason No. 14 team for 2025. pic.twitter.com/B23DnMTQRH
Klatt continued to express his thoughts on the Lagway injury front, showing how important the signal-caller is for the Gators.
"If Lagway's not healthy, then I don't love what they are doing. If he's healthy, then I love them. They're a top-10 team...If Lagway's healthy, top 10 team. If he's not, the schedule is brutal," Klatt continued.
Florida's Schedule is "Brutal"
While Klatt discussed Florida, one thing stood out: The schedule.
The Gators' schedule for the 2025 season is as follows:
- vs. LIU Brooklyn
- vs. South Florida
- at LSU
- at Miami (FL)
- vs. texas
- at Texas A&M
- vs. Mississippi State
- vs. Georgia
- at Kentucky
- at Ole Miss
- vs. Tennessee
- vs. Florida State
"If he's not (healthy), the schedule is brutal," Klatt added. "That's the bottom line with Florida. They've got a four-game stretch where, if Lagway's healthy for this four-game stretch in September and October, they've got a chance. But if not, they might lose all four of these."
The four-game stretch Klatt is referring to is LSU, Miami (FL), Texas and Texas A&M, with three of those on the road and the lone home game against the Longhorns.
Klatt said again it is a "brutal schedule" and concluded by saying, "If he's healthy they can manage it. If he's not, then they can't."
So, a lot of the pressure figures to sit on Lagway. In 2024, Lagway threw for 1,610 yards with 11 touchdowns while leading Florida to six wins, so there is a lot of hope for him, although the injuries are sure worrisome.
Napier spoke about Lagway's injury status earlier in the week, which could be a sigh of relief for Florida fans and even Klatt.
“Obviously, he had a little bit of a setback with the calf, but I think he’s on the right track, and you know he threw in public the other day, and everybody’s all excited about that,” Napier said.
Still, it's been an injury-filled offseason for Lagway, and if something pops up again, it could be a tough couple of months for Florida.
Related: Billy Napier Provides Latest DJ Lagway Injury Update
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
