DJ Lagway is QB1 for the Gators against Samford.
The Florida football team will be starting true freshman five-star quarterback DJ Lagway this weekend when the Gators take on Samford. Graham Mertz got the start last Saturday against Miami, but he is currently in concussion protocol. The Gators didn’t look good in their 41-17 loss to the Hurricanes, and it is now Lagway’s job to lead this team to victory against Samford.
“Florida five-star freshman QB DJ Lagway will start this weekend against Samford, Billy Napier announced,” Matt Zenitz said in a post. “Gators starting QB Graham Mertz remains in concussion protocol.”
DJ Lagway was the #1 overall QB in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports. He was the #3 overall player in the class and the top player in the state of Texas. Lagway attended Lewis High School in Lewis, Texas. Here is what Andrew Ivins had to say about Lagway in his high school scouting report:
“Dual-threat quarterback with enormous potential given rare athletic frame and natural arm talent,” Ivins wrote. “Still very much a work in progress as a passer, but improved in almost every key statistical category as a senior while leading his high school to its best finish in over 60 years. Owns ready-to-play size as he’s over 6-foot-2 and pushing 230 pounds. Has the upper-body strength to attack all different levels of the field and the velocity to challenge tight coverage windows. Gets the ball out super quick and loves to manipulate angles. Flashes some touch here and there, but needs to get more consistent at hitting his marks. Makes throws off-platform and on the move like few others in recent cycles and isn’t afraid to take a hit. Dynamic as a runner for someone of his stature and can generate big gain after big gain, whether that’s off-script or by design. Game appeared to slow down a bit for him towards the tail end of prep career, which in turn led to fewer mistakes. Only going to get better as a distributor if he can sync his feet up with his arm and keep improving as a post-snap decision maker. Should be viewed as one of the top overall talents in the class and a signal caller that could blossom into an early NFL Draft pick if it all comes together given ability to air it out and gash defenses with his legs. Likely will need a developmental year or two before he’s ready to go on Saturdays, but could be utilized in situational packages early on as he can create some magic.”
Billy Napier’s comments on the move
Florida football head coach Billy Napier announced the move on Wednesday, and he is excited to see Lagway make his first start.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Napier said, according to an article from 247 Sports. “DJ’s got a great attitude, obviously. He’s excited, got a chance to play Saturday for the first time in his career. Just to get feedback about that and now understand what it’s like out there as a competitor. So far, so good. I thought he did a lot of good things (Tuesday) and it’s great to see the other players kind of rally around him. But, yeah, it’s definitely a positive for him to be able to take advantage of those reps with the first team.”
Florida and Samford will kick off at 7:00 ET from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. The game will be airing on SEC Network, and Florida is a big favorite.
