Florida Gators versus Texas Longhorns Preview
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The Florida Gators will travel to Austin, Texas, to take on the Texas Longhorns. The Gators haven’t played against the Longhorns in Austin since the 1939 season. Texas has a 2-0-1 all-time record against the University of Florida.
Florida is coming off a tough rivalry loss versus the Georgia Bulldogs. The Texas Longhorns are coming off a bye week but defeated Vanderbilt in their last game. Here is the game preview for the Florida Gators versus Texas Longhorns.
Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns will host the Florida Gators for the first time as an SEC opponent. The Longhorns will be led by their head coach, Steve Sarkisian, who’s entering his fourth season as the head coach for Texas.
The Texas offense will be led by their quarterback, Quinn Ewers. The former Ohio State transfer is considered to be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Ewers has completed 69.2% of his passes for 1,389 yards, fifteen total touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Junior wide receiver Isaiah Bond was one of the biggest names in the Transfer Portal and has made an immediate impact for the Longhorns. The Alabama transfer has recorded 23 receptions for 380 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Bond was also previously committed to the University of Florida as a high school recruit.
The Texas Longhorns defense is arguably the #1 defense in college football. PFF ranks Texas as the #1 defense in the nation (94.6 PFF grade). The Longhorns have the #1 total defense (241.2 YPG) and are second in the nation in scoring defense (11.5 PPG).
Sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. is the leader of the Texas defense. Hill leads the Longhorns in tackles with 28 solo tackles and 58 total tackles. He also leads Texas in tackles for loss (10) and sacks (5.5). Two other Texas Longhorns to watch this Saturday are running back Jaydon Blue and EDGE rusher Colin Simmons.
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are coming into this game with major question marks with the availability of some of their top players. However, Billy Napier is no longer coaching for his job as Florida’s athletic director, Scott Stricklin, has announced Napier will stay at the University of Florida for next season.
The Florida Gators offense has not announced a starting quarterback since DJ Lagway is questionable with a hamstring injury. Lagway suffered his hamstring injury last Saturday against the Georgia Bulldogs. If Lagway is out, walk-on Yale transfer Aidan Warner will make his first collegiate start.
Senior running back Montrell Johnson is also listed as questionable for the Texas game. However, Jadan Baugh and JaKobi Jackson have played very well in Montrell’s absence. Both running backs rushed for over 60 yards against a stout Georgia front seven.
The Florida defense has continued to impress since their first bye week early in the season. While Florida’s pass rushers haven’t won in the trenches, they have had good play from their linebackers and defensive backs.
Sophomore linebacker Grayson Howard has been an excellent addition to Florida’s roster. The South Carolina transfer has recorded 37 total tackles including seventeen solo tackles on the season. Howard also has two tackles for loss, one sack, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. Two other Gators to watch in the Texas game are wide receiver Elijhah Badger and defensive back Aaron Gates.
