The Gators celebrated their national championship on Saturday with fans at the Orange & Blue Game.
From Trophy Cheers to Lagway’s Leap—Gator Nation Had It All
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The 2025 edition of the Orange & Blue Game may go down as one of the most memorable in University of Florida history—and not because of the action on Steve Spurrier Field. The spotlight belonged to halftime.
During a special 30-minute intermission, the Florida men's basketball team—fresh off its 2025 NCAA National Championship—was celebrated in front of a roaring crowd of 56,563 fans. The turnout marked the largest attendance for a UF spring game since 2009, and the energy never dipped.
Each player’s introduction was met with escalating cheers, culminating in the arrival of senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, who stepped out of the tunnel holding the NCAA Championship Trophy.
Clayton Jr. closed the ceremony with a heartfelt message at midfield.
“I gotta stand up to say this — I'm a Florida boy, through and through, and we're family,” Clayton Jr. said. “Gator boys stay hot, and it's gonna continue."
The Gators men's basketball team celebrates its national championship on Saturday afternoon during the annual Orange & Blue Game. (Photo: Victoria Riccobono/UAA Communications)
When Florida basketball captured national titles in 2006 and 2007, the celebrations took place inside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. But with only 10,133 seats, many Gator fans had to watch the festivities from the stadium screens at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
This time, the celebration moved directly to The Swamp, giving thousands more the chance to cheer in person—just as they had all season long.
Florida head coach Todd Golden helped unveil the 2025 national championship banner, which will soon hang in the rafters of the O’Dome. Wearing the championship net around his neck, Golden addressed the crowd with heartfelt gratitude.
“We’re incredibly grateful to bring a national championship back to Florida, where it belongs,” Golden said.
Before Golden’s remarks, Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward presented a ceremonial key to the city to Golden and the entire team, with Voice of the Gators Sean Kelley leading the moment.
“You will always have a home, right here, in the capital of the Gator Nation,” Ward said.
UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin followed, thanking fans, boosters, players, and staff, while spotlighting unforgettable tournament moments—including sophomore forward Alex Condon’s game-clinching grab in the title game, which drew thunderous applause.
As the celebration continued, Kelley spoke with several players who shared their appreciation for Gator Nation.
Junior center Micah Handlogten, who gave up his medical redshirt to help the team chase the championship, called it “the best decision of [his] life.”
And sophomore guard Denzel Aberdeen, who scored Florida’s final point on a clutch free throw with 19 seconds left, couldn’t resist a lighthearted jab at himself.
“My fault for missing that first free throw,” Aberdeen joked, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Back to the Field
After Team Blue’s 38–32 win over Team Orange, Florida football head coach Billy Napier reflected on the day’s energy, calling the basketball tribute the “icing on the cake.”
“I thought it was an awesome idea by the athletic department to combine the Orange & Blue Game with a celebration of the national championship,” Napier said.
While the halftime spotlight belonged to the Gators’ basketball team, the action on the field didn’t disappoint—several UF spring-game records were shattered, adding even more excitement to an already historic day in The Swamp.
Ja'Kobi Jackson rushed for three touchdowns on Saturday. (Photo: Bryce Mitchell/UAA Communications)
Graduate quarterback Harrison Bailey made his mark in The Swamp, throwing for 361 yards and breaking Chris Leak’s 2004 spring game record of 335. The moment was especially meaningful for Bailey, whose first college start took place on the same field back in 2020 while playing for Tennessee.
“A real experience considering I grew up a Florida fan, watching Tebow and Chris Rainey, Demps and all those boys play,” Bailey said Saturday. “But it was pretty unreal, you know, running out the stadium, being able to compete and play against some of my teammates, with some of my teammates, it was an unreal experience, something I’ve dreamed up since I was a little kid.”
Redshirt senior running back Ja'Kobi Jackson also etched his name into the record books, rushing for 198 yards—including a 90-yard touchdown, the longest run in Orange & Blue Game history.
“The O-line did a great job today,” Jackson said. “There wasn’t much I had to do except run good and run straight.”
Freshman wide receiver Dallas Wilson turned heads as well, hauling in a spring-game record 10 receptions and matching Trevon Grimes’ 195-yard receiving mark from 2019. His performance earned praise from both Coach Billy Napier and Bailey, who said he knew Wilson was “set for a monster day.”
DJ Lagway on the field Saturday. (Photo: Victoria Riccobono)
While quarterbacks Harrison Bailey (Team Orange) and Aidan Warner (Team Blue) handled most of the reps during Saturday’s Orange & Blue Game, it was sophomore DJ Lagway who took the game’s opening snap—handing off to Ja’Kobi Jackson for Team Blue.
Lagway saw limited action, logging five snaps—all hand-offs—as he continues to recover from shoulder and lower-body injuries. Still, head coach Billy Napier expressed confidence in Lagway’s progress.
“DJ’s doing great,” Napier said. “He’ll start throwing here in a couple weeks. The lower-body stuff is good, and I think he’s been able to do that and I think we’re working on just kind of getting him in position for the next step.
“When we start OTAs [organized team activities] in June, he’ll be 100%.”
