The University of North Florida celebrated its 2025 homecoming as a tribute to the spirit of the Osprey, featuring the return of its mascot, Ozzie the Osprey, and the unveiling of a new Ozzie caricature.

Missing since Halloween, Ozzie reappeared during the Homecoming men’s basketball game, bursting through pyrotechnics to thunderous cheers from a packed crowd of students, alumni and friends.

The redesigned Ozzie sported a sleeker, more athletic frame that looked both aggressive and playful, with a vintage collegiate feel. The new look exuded confidence and strength, embodied the Osprey’s fearless energy and symbolized the competitive strength of the North Florida Ospreys’ NCAA Division I programs.

A video posted by the university showed Ozzie in a gym lifting weights and showing off the

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