By Chris Marler
Can DJ Lagway go from freshman phenom to sophomore savior?
The pressure Billy Napier faced entering the 2024 season was as unfair as it was immense. Napier was put on the hotseat well before the season ever began. The media started talking about how difficult the 2024 schedule was before the 2023 schedule even started.
Napier handled it well and finished the season on a four game win streak that included a win over No. 11 Ole Miss and two rivals.
There’s no rest for the wicked or rabid fans, apparently. Billy Napier heads into 2025 on the hotseat once again. However, this year he heads into the season with a quarterback who many people around the country think could be the biggest single difference maker since Tim Tebow was in Gainesville.
So the question for Florida in 2025 is whether or not DJ Lagway can not only be good enough to win games, but good enough to keep Billy Napier’s job once again?
There’s no denying Lagway’s physical traits and tools. He was wildly impressive at times during his freshman season. He was especially impressive off script and when creating explosive plays. The thing he’ll need to be in year two is more consistent. He finished the year with under 60 percent completion percentage, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
Twice on the year he averaged over 18 yards per attempt. He finished the year with 10 yards per attempt which was third best in the SEC. However, he finished the year with only two games over 60 percent completion percentage in his final seven games. He also threw four interceptions in his last three games.
The thing that should give Gator fans the most hope, even more than his ridiculously high ceiling, is that Napier has been great at developing his quarterbacks in Gainesville. People forget that Graham Mertz led the SEC in completion percentage as a starter during the 2023 season at 72.9 percent. He was also leading the country this year at 76.6 percent before he got injured.
Napier’s track record, combined with Lagway’s talent, should be a recipe for success this season. But will it be enough to translate into more wins, not just improved statistics? That remains to be seen. The 2024 schedule was a gauntlet and 2025 will be no different. Florida will play at LSU, at Miami, Texas, and at Texas A&M next season— all in a row and within the first six games. They’ll close with Georgia, Ole Miss, and Tennessee in November.
Can Florida continue to turn the corner? Absolutely. But is DJ Lagway and his right arm going to be the savior of the program or just save Billy Napier’s job for another year? Maybe the answer is both. Hopefully the answer isn’t either.
