DJ Lagway to Start for Florida Gators: 'He's Got a Good Look in His Eye'

Billy Napier and Florida Gators will be going with the true freshman at quarterback vs. Samford.

Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway is in line to get the first start of his career on Saturday. / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida Gators’ freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who came in relief for injured starter Graham Mertz during last Saturday’s 41-17 loss to Miami, as of Wednesday, will be the team’s starting quarterback this week against Samford, head coach Billy Napier said. 

Lagway had already been taking first-team reps during this week’s set of practices due to Mertz being in the concussion protocol, an injury he suffered late in the third quarter against the Hurricanes. If Mertz is to miss Saturday’s game, it’ll  be his second missed start in three games dating back to last season. 

"He's got a good look in his eye. I think just today, we were breaking GameChanger walk and we were transitioning to flex and we're running to our spots and I see him be specific and really dial up with three or four people just talking about, 'Hey, let's go have a great day here,'” Napier said of Lagway. “Guys that are his age and guys that are older than him, I think he's got good relationships on the team. This guy's been through some battles and I think this is going to be good for him."

Napier mentioned that Mertz is further along in the concussion protocol but not quite where he needs to be to play. Napier said his final availability for Saturday’s game is “to be determined.”

In three drives, Lagway completed three of his six passes for 31 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. He added 24 yards on four rushing attempts and led the Gators on a nine-play, 58-yard touchdown drive in his second appearance. 

"I think it's huge that he actually got to play a little bit Week 1 and just relative to what he's taking on now,” Napier said. “He's been out there and kind of been through that process. He prepared in the 10-day prep for Miami and he went through that entire thing and I think, obviously, he's gotten all the reps with the ones, working with the first offense not the second offense. All of the sudden, the players around you and the defense you're competing with and the good-on-good. He hasn't done a ton of that so to do it all the time I think benefits him as well."

Lagway’s arrival to Florida comes after a highly-publicized recruitment as one of the nation’s most-decorated high school quarterbacks. In a stellar senior season for Willis (Tx.), he threw for over 4,600 yards with 58 touchdowns while completing just over 72% of his passes. He added 957 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. 

Lagway was named the 2023 national Gatorade Player of the Year, Bobby Dodd National Back (High School Heisman) of the Year, 2023 MaxPreps Player of the Year, 2023 Elite 11 National High School Quarterback of the Year and 2023 National Quarterback Club High School Quarterback of the Year.

Should he take the first snaps on Saturday, Lagway would also become the first true freshman quarterback to start a game for the Gators in nearly 10 years. The last was Treon Harris in 2014, when the Gators upset No. 11 Georgia 38-20. In six starts, Harris led Florida to a 4-2 record after the team started 3-3. 

It would also mark the fourth-straight year that Florida starts multiple quarterbacks in the same season.

Florida’s home matchup against Samford begins at 7 p.m. with television coverage on SEC Network+.