Billy Napier Reveals Update on DJ Lagway’s Status During Spring Practice
One of the major spring practice questions facing the Florida Gators and head coach Billy Napier surrounds star quarterback DJ Lagway.
Lagway faced a daunting task as a true freshman last season after starter Graham Mertz suffered a season-ending injury against Tennessee on Oct. 14.
The Gators sat at 3-3 when Lagway took over and the former five-star went on to post a 5-2 record as the starter, including four straight wins to cap off an 8-5 season. It was Florida’s first winning season since 2020.
Lagway holds the keys to the offense as a sophomore. However, his spring practice has been limited due to shoulder and lower-body injuries.
Napier hasn’t revealed much about the extent of the injuries. The good news for Gators’ faithful is Lagway’s presence on the practice field, albeit in a modified way.
“Yeah, he’s doing great,”Napier said on Tuesday. “He actually played quite a few plays today. Yeah, so, he was able to participate in the scrimmage. So he’s just been modified in terms of his ability to throw the ball. Obviously, you know, it’s really more of a holistic approach in terms of what we’re doing with him. But, in general, he’s doing great.”
It appears Napier and Co. are focusing on the 6-foot-3, 241-pound passer’s leadership and communication in the huddle while Lagway works to get healthy. He completed 59.9% of his passes for 1,915 yards with 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions last season.
“Today, he played every play from behind,” Napier said. He stood back there with me. Got the play call. We’ve been having him call some plays in seven-on-seven drills just to kind of reiterate that communication. So, yeah, I think we’ve given him some leadership assignments. We’re doing a ton of walkthrough rooms in the Gator Room and the Heavener Center.”
It’s not clear how long Lagway will be limited. The Gators will host their spring game on April 12 before kicking off the 2025 season at home against Long Island on Aug. 30.
“So, overall, he continues to get a little bit better each day,” Napier said.
