Gators QB DJ Lagway Continues Progressing, Expected to Practice

There are no guarantees that Lagway is going to play on Saturday, but he continues to get healthier

Lagway continues to show improvement since his injury / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Florida Gators quarterback D.J. Lagway continues his progression back to the gridiron. Head coach Billy Napier reported during Monday’s press conference that he is getting work and expected to get back to practice. 

However, they aren’t saying he’s back to full form just yet. 

“Yeah. Well, good thing is we worked him out this morning and felt good about what we saw. You know, so now, does that mean he's 100%? I don't necessarily -- soft tissue is a very subjective issue. I think it's day-to-day. But we do anticipate him practicing today.”

The Gators are being cautious with Lagway. While he was a game-time decision against Texas, the odds of him playing - among others who were hurt - were slim.

“Even those guys that were listed that way, I think after watching pre-game they weren't ready to go. Big picture, we got a bunch of guys. They're doing everything humanly possible to play. I mean, that's one of the things I respect about the group.”

Lagway suffered what initially looked like a brutal hamstring injury during the Gators' 32-20 loss to Georgia. He had to be carted off the field. It looked like his freshman year would be coming to an abrupt end. 

But in the days following the game, Napier revealed that the injury was not as serious as originally thought. Hence why the chances of him playing against Texas was greater than zero. 

For now, the Gators will have to wait and see how he does in practice, let alone being able to participate in practice in general.  

Lagway took over the starting job after Graham Mertz suffered a season-ending and, in turn, college-career-ending ACL injury. He also started the Week Two game against Samford when Mertz had a concussion.

Lagway played in every game this season besides the Texas game. He has 1,071 passing yards with six touchdowns to five interceptions. He had a 60.9% completion rate.