A Positive Debut for Florida Gators Freshman QB DJ Lagway

There wasn't a lot of good to take from the Florida Gators blowout loss to the Miami Gators, but freshman quarterback DJ Lagway looks legit.

Florida Gators Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway vs. Miami Hurricanes / Kyle Lander, Gators Illustrated

While Saturday was a day to forget for the Florida Gators and their fans, both caught a glimpse into what the future could look like with freshman DJ Lagway at the helm. 

After an unfortunate injury to starting quarterback Graham Mertz late in the third quarter, head coach Billy Napier made the decision to bring in Lagway as his replacement. There were some ups and down throughout his time on the field, but Napier was pleased with what he saw from the freshman. 

“I think he did a lot of good things, in particular the second drive there we got to some things where he had success,” Napier said after the game. “Threw some great individual cuts, some good movement passes, made a few plays with his feet.”

With how the game played out against Miami, it was always going to be a tough situation for Lagway to be thrown into. However, he still made some good passes and plays with his feet like Napier mentioned. 

During his second drive in the game, he started with back-to-back passes to Gators star wideout Eugene Wilson III. The first was for 11 yards and the second for 16. Then, some plays later, he scrambled for 16 yards on 3rd-and-12 to put Florida on the Miami five yard line. They would end the drive off with a one-yard touchdown run by Treyaun Webb. 

Now, there were positives from the freshman, but his debut also came with some negatives. On his final drive of the game, Lagway was hit as he was throwing the ball, and it resulted in an interception for the Hurricane’s defense. 

He will want to make sure he limits the turnovers as the season progresses, but he still showcased his talents well on Saturday. 

In the end, Lagway finished 3-for-6 with 31 yards and an interception. He also rushed the ball four times for 20 yards. And while these aren’t eye-popping numbers, two of his teammates were still proud of how Lagway played. 

“I'm super proud of him,” starting center Jake Slaughter said. “He came in there, executed when we asked him to. I couldn't be happier with DJ. I’m super proud of him.”

The other who praised Lagway’s performance was receiver Chimere Dike. 

“To step in that spot is not easy, and the way he continued to spot and compete for four quarters shows the kind of character he has, and I've seen that since day one with him,” Dike said.

A Potential First Start in Week 2

The biggest question going forward will be how much gametime Lagway will see next week with Mertz’s injury. Napier stated after the game that it was a concussion that Mertz sustained and he will go through the regular protocols to see if he is available for Week 2 vs. Samford. If he is not cleared, then it would be easy to assume that Lagway is next man up on the depth chart. 

If that is the case, Slaughter is extremely confident in Lagway to be ready to take over as the starter. 

“I have the utmost confidence in DJ to go in and execute and do what we need him to do,” Slaughter said. “From the start, he had the mentality that he's ready to come in and work, and he's ready to improve and he's ready to contribute.”

Contribute he most certainly will. Lagway was always going to play in year one with the program, and now he could potentially be getting his first collegiate start earlier than anticipated in Week 2 against Samford.