It was a year of change and championships for Florida Gators athletics in 2025.
Florida basketball ushered in the year with a magical run to its third national title in school history, cutting down the nets on April 7 in San Antonio, Texas, after beating Houston.
There was hope that karma would carry over into the Florida football season. But three straight losses in September doomed UF, resulting in a needed change in program leadership.
As college sports continues to evolve into a transactional model this decade, Florida is still trying to adapt to changes in revenue sharing, Name, Image and Likeness deals and the transfer portal. Those changes have impacted all 19 men’s and women’s sports on UF’s campus.
Florida notched its 49th national title in school history with men’s basketball and is the only Division I program that can boast three national titles in football (1996, 2006, 2008) and men’s basketball (2006, 2007, 2025).
5. Florida women’s volleyball coach Mary Wise retires after 34 years
Wise announced her retirement on February 6, ending a 34-year-run that included eight Final Fours, two national runner-up finishes and a record 25 SEC championships. Her teams made the NCAA Tournament in all 34 years.
Wise won 987 career games at UF and 1,068 wins in her career, which began at Iowa State.
One of Wise’s former assistants at UF, Marquette coach Ryan Theis, was hired to replace her on February 18. Florida went 16-12 in Theis’s first season, reaching the NCAA Tournament before falling at host SMU in the Round of 32.
