Predicting the Florida Gators Top 3 Players

EA Sports College Football 25 wasn't high on the Florida Gators, but that doesn't mean they don't have elite players.

Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III will be one of the top players in 2024. / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately for the Florida Gators, they didn’t register any players within the top 100 overall players in EA Sports NCAA College Football 25’s player ratings. 

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t have high overall players. The cutoff to make the top 100 for CFB25 was 90 overall. 

The only thing it means is the video game maker isn't particularly high on the Gators heading into the launch of the game next week. 

So, the big question now is who are the top players on the Gators roster?

My top three would be Eugene “Tre” Wilson III, Shemar James and Elijah Badger. 

If you wanted to push it further to top five, you’d have to think Jason Marshall, Montrell Johnson and Graham Mertz would be the first ones coming to mind to round out the group. 

However, we are going to keep it at three for today. 

Tre Wilson

It is not hard to see why Tre Wilson III should be among the top three on the Florida Gators. 
Wilson is one of the best playmakers that the Gators have to offer and one of the best receivers in the SEC despite only being a true sophomore. 

Coming out of high school with a lot of hype around his name, Wilson III made sure not to disappoint.
He burst onto the scene with the Gators in his freshman year, totaling 538 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 61 receptions in 10 games (seven starts). 

Furthermore, his six touchdowns were a team-high, and he was second on the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving yards per game.

By the end of the year, Wilson III was named Freshman All-SEC, 247Sports True Freshman All-American and On3 True Freshman All-American. 

With College Football 25 coming out very soon, anyone will be able to turn him into an explosive playmaker that can spearhead an offense. 

Shemar James

Arguably the most important player on the defense, Shemar James should definitely be within this range.

He has been one of the more impressive players for Florida these past two years and now has the chance to become the next-big-time linebacker from Gainesville. 

As a freshman, he played in all-13 games (four starts) and finished the season with 47 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. This earned him Freshman All-SEC honors in 2022. 

James would’ve shown even more as a sophomore if not for an injury late into the season that abruptly ended his year. 

However, he still finished second on the team in tackles (55), and tackles-for-loss (5.5) in 2023 despite only playing in eight games last year. 

For those looking for a reason to use the Gators in a CFB25 dynasty, you’ll need a defensive leader and James is just that. 

Elijhah Badger

With the Gators lacking productive wide receivers, Billy Napier had one clear objective: grab a transfer wideout to pair with Wilson III and Kahleil Jackson. 

And he completed that by adding Arizona State transfer Elijhah Badger. The Sacramento, California native originally committed to the Sun Devils in the class of 2020. 

Since then, he has been one of their most trusted receivers when available, tallying 135 receptions, racking up 1579 yards and adding 10 touchdowns over the past two seasons. 

Getting Badger in the fold is crucial going into next season, and he will be a key piece for anyone who takes over as the offensive coordinator or head coach of the Florida Gators in CFB25. 

A sneaky honorable mention

He may not be the first player that comes to mind for a top three or top five spot in player ratings on the Gators roster, but sophomore defensive back Jordan Castell should be rated up near the top. 

I don’t believe he will be in the top three, but within the top five or six for Florida would not surprise me one bit. 

Castell had a very promising and impressive freshman season in 2023. The Orlando native played in all 12 games for the Gators and made 11 consecutive starts to end the season at the safety position.

Additionally, he led the Gators in total tackles (60) and solo tackles (30). He also added three pass breakups and one interception. 

Castell was voted to the Freshman All-SEC team and labeled as a Freshman All-American by ESPN. 

For a game that loves rating players on their potential, Castell has shown tons of it and could maybe be one of the higher rated players on this Gators defense.