It is pretty much agreed that this year, the Florida Gators are likely to go as far as quarterback DJ Lagway can take them, and right now, he can’t take them very far.
With spring practice coming to an end, next Saturday is the Gators’ annual spring game, Lagway has yet to throw a pass, and that isn’t expected to change anytime soon.
“He’s doing great,” Florida Coach Billy Napier said at a press conference posted on the Gators’ website. “We’ve just been modifying, in terms of his ability to throw the ball really, a more holistic approach with what we’re doing with him.”
If Napier ever decides to get out of coaching, maybe he should go into politics, because politicians are good at saying a lot without saying anything, and that’s what Napier did there. I mean how can you modify somebody’s throwing motion if they can’t throw?
Lagway has been dealing with a sore shoulder, plus some other unspecified lower body injuries, for some time and Florida’s plan was always to be cautious with him this spring in hopes of having him fully rested and recovered by the fall.
But the shoulder thing is starting to make some people edgy. Just how bad is it? Will Lagway in fact be fully recovered when the team starts getting ready for real games with real outcomes that have real consequences?
Frankly, at this time, there is no certainty of that. It’s already been suggested that whatever’s wrong with Lagway’s shoulder may be something he has to play through, as he apparently did in the final games of last season.
And just out of sight lurks the possibility that Lagway will need surgery, with all that implies.
“We’ve been having him call some plays in seven-on-seven drills just to have him kind of reiterate that communication and we’ve given him some leadership assignments,” Napier commented.
“He’s done a ton of walkthroughs in the Gator Room and Heavener Center,” the Florida coach continued. “Overall, he continues to get a little bit better every day.”
If Lagway is still limited in the fall, it could severely affect Florida’s chances of contending for an SEC title, which many people feel they are fully capable of doing.
Thrown into the fire as a freshman after veteran starter Graham Mertz got hurt, Lagway led he Gators to a 6-1 record including four straight wins to end the season. That included a victory over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl to build momentum going into 2025.
And while many of the key pieces return from that team, the receiving corps had had to be entirely rebuilt, which is why Lagway’s inability to throw is a setback of sorts.
Napier has recruited some of the best young talent in the country, and despite the loss of some veterans this year’s group could be much better than last year’s, but they need to work with Lagway.
Among the newcomers are Vernell Brown, ranked as the No. 3 receiving prospect in the nation and the 24th best player overall by rivals.com and Dallas Wilson, ranked as the No. 2 receiving prospect and the 19th best player in the country by On3 sports. Naeshawn Montgomery is another highly regarded frosh.
The Gators could also get a big boost if Kahleil Jackson, out for the season after tearing his ACL in Florida’s opener against Miami in 2024, is fully recovered. Jackson started nine games in 2023.
“I think we have to make progress and work toward being a tough-minded group, a fundamentally sound group, one that can handle adversity whether it’s at home against a premium opponent or some of those road games in some of those venues that we have to deal with,” Napier said, speaking now of his whole team and not just Lagway and the receivers.
And the Gators certainly will have to deal with adversity. It’ll just be a lot easier if Lagway’s there to help them through it.
