Florida’s upset of Texas came with a surprise buried in the defensive line rotation: LJ McCray finally looked like the player Florida fans have been waiting for.
That’s not how the conversation around McCray had been going lately. Earlier this week, he was grouped into a list of Florida players whose first halves had fallen short of expectations, and his season line entering Saturday was hard to ignore - six total tackles in six games. For a former five-star, that kind of production had fueled plenty of doubt.
Then Saturday happened.
McCray didn’t suddenly become a full-time fixture. He has been operating in the same limited snap role he’s had for most of the season, and against Texas he was on the field for 23 snaps.
But in those reps, he changed the game. He finished with four total tackles and 1.5 sacks, which doubled his career sack total at Florida.
The bigger point for Florida is what McCray’s day could mean moving forward. He arrived with five-star expectations and played as a freshman, but the impact never really matched the recruiting hype.
There was renewed hope for a breakout last year before an injury against USF wiped out his 2025 season. Then the offseason brought the same familiar optimism, only for the early returns this year to cool it off fast.
After the game, Jon Sumrall pointed directly to McCray’s progress, saying, “I'd say certain guys have stepped up. I felt LJ McCray last week at the end of the game, and then this week I felt him a lot more.”
If that trend holds, Florida may have found something real along the defensive front. Brad White’s defense looked more aggressive against Texas, and after the past two weeks of trying different blitz packages, the Gators finally had a pass rush that played with conviction.
However the coaches want to frame it, McCray was part of the reason it worked. On Saturday, he had purpose.
And Florida rode that to an upset over Texas.
In Other News...
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Floridas win at Texas did more than add another quality result to the rsum, it nudged the Gators into a noticeably better position in ESPNs Football Power Index. After the Week 7 victory, Florida climbed six spots to No. 19, and the model now gives the Gators a projected regular-season finish of 7.7-4.3. It also improved their odds across the board, from running the table to reaching the College Football Playoff and even making a run at the conference title.
For a team still trying to turn a big road win into something bigger, that kind of movement matters. FPI rankings do not guarantee anything, but they do reflect how quickly the perception around Florida has shifted after beating Texas, and they help frame what comes next in a crowded postseason picture. The updated top 25 after Week 7 shows the Gators moving in the right direction, with the path forward looking a little clearer than it did a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
London Montgomery Gave Florida The Spark It Desperately Needed
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His five kick returns produced 105 yards, and several of those chances set Florida up with much better field position than it had earlier in the game. For a team trying to find rhythm and keep drives alive, Montgomerys impact was felt in the kind of moments that do not always jump off the box score but can quietly change the direction of a night. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Just Made A Rivalry Weekend Even More Painful
Floridas upset of seventh-ranked Texas in Austin should have been the brightest SEC headline in the state, especially with freshman quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. making his first career start in a 27-24 win. Instead, rivalry weekend in Florida turned into a reminder of how crowded the spotlight can get when the states other programs are rolling too, with Miami climbing to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2002 after its double-overtime win over Florida State.
USF added to the same uneasy backdrop by handling Kent State 29-2 on homecoming and moving to 5-2, giving the Bulls another reason to feel good about their season. For the Gators, the bigger-picture sting is obvious: a signature road win should travel well, but when Miami is celebrating a historic ranking and the in-state conversation keeps drifting elsewhere, Floridas upset suddenly feels like one more part of a weekend that was hard to own outright. [Read more 🡒]