LSU Football vs. Florida Gators: The Status Update on DJ Lagway

Lagway continues trending in the right direction, Billy Napier provides an update on Thursday.

Oct 19, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) scrambles with the ball against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Brian Kelly and the No. 21 ranked LSU Tigers continue preparation for a Week 12 Southeastern Conference showdown against the Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon.

The storyline surrounding this weekend's contest will be the status of Florida signal-caller DJ Lagway as he continues recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in Week 10.

After missing last week's matchup against the Texas Longhorns, Lagway is "trending in the right direction," according to Napier.

Now, the Southeastern Conference has released the initial Week 12 Injury Report with Lagway's status updated once again.

A look into the full Injury Report for both programs with LSU set to be without a starting offensive lineman once again.

The Injury Report: LSU Tigers vs. Florida Gators

DJ Lagway: Florida Quarterback

Florida quarterback DJ Lagway continues rehabbing a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 10 where many believed his season could likely be finished.

After initial reports came back positive, the Gators' staff elected to sit Lagway last weekend against Texas in order to trend in the right direction.

Then, he returned to the practice fields on Monday.

“We felt good about what we saw this morning,” Napier said on Monday. “It’s day-to-day, and we do anticipate him practicing today.” 

On Wednesday, Napier provided another update on Lagway's status during the Southeastern Conference Teleconference:

“DJ continues to improve,” Napier said. “I think we’ve seen progress every day and I think that’s allowed him to participate more in practice. Obviously we’re kind of controlling that environment, but in general I think we continue to trend in the right direction.”

Lagway was listed as "questionable" on the Southeastern Conference's Week 12 Injury Report on Wednesday evening.

Now, the Gators QB1 is off of the Injury Report with Napier confirming that Lagway will be a full go on Saturday afternoon against the LSU Tigers.

The Gators have battled the injury bug in 2024 with starting quarterback Graham Mertz suffering a torn ACL earlier in the season. Then, it was the five-star freshman in Lagway hitting the recovery table.

“I think that he got better each day. A little bit better with each opportunity,” Napier said Saturday. “I do think that he probably felt as good as he’s felt since the injury today pregame. That’s kind of what he voiced to me. But not quite ready. I think there was risk with putting him out there with a soft-tissue injury. All of the metrics said he’s not quite ready to do it but we’re hopeful. He’s made some progress and we’ll get a good feel for it early next week.”

The Full Florida Injury Report:
DB Ja’Keem Jackson – Out
DB Jason Marshall Jr. – Out
WR Eugene Wilson III – Out
RB Treyaun Webb – Out
ILB Grayson Howard – Out
QB Graham Mertz – Out
DB Asa Turner – Out
WR Kahleil Jackson – Out
DB Devin Moore – Out
OL Devon Manuel – Out
DL Jamari Lyons – Out
RB Montrell Johnson Jr. – Questionable
OL Damieon Georgia Jr. - Questionable

Garrett Dellinger: LSU Offensive Lineman

LSU offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger suffered an ankle injury during the Tigers' Week 9 contest against the Texas A&M Aggies.

Now, after rehabbing during the open date and missing Week 11 against the Crimson Tide, he'll once again be "OUT" for Saturday night in Gainesville.

A player who has played in 41 career games for the Tigers, including 30 starts, all eyes will be on if the experienced lineman will be back this weekend.

“He had a high-ankle sprain, so we’re hoping that this week becomes a recovery week for him," Brian Kelly said last Tuesday.

When Dellinger went down against Texas A&M, it was freshman Paul Mubenga who slid in as the right guard.

LSU has worked with an offensive line unit of Will Campbell (LT), Dellinger (LG), DJ Chester (C), Miles Frazier (RG) and Emery Jones (RT) in 2024.

The "sixth man" in Tyree Adams looks to be out for the foreseeable future after undergoing surgery over two weeks ago with a "sports hernia" injury, according to Kelly.

With Adams out and Dellinger's status up in the air, it's imperative the veteran gets back on the field sooner rather than later.

“Look, he’s the starter, but one guy going down did not affect the running game to the level that it did,” Kelly said after the A&M game. “There are bits and pieces to it, and we did not win some individual matchups. We made some mistakes, uncharacteristically from some other guys that are on the offensive line, and quite frankly we made some choices to run into boxes that were not conducive and we should’ve been doing some other things. So it was a little bit of all those things.”

The Full LSU Injury Report:
S Jordan Allen – Out
LB Harold Perkins Jr. – Out
WR Kyle Parker – Out
RB John Emery Jr. – Out
DE Princeton Malbrue – Out
OL Garrett Dellinger – Out
DT Jacobian Guillory – Out
OL Tyree Adams – Questionable
WR CJ Daniels – Probable
S Dashawn Spears – Probable
LB West Weeks – Probable

More LSU News:

The Updated AP Top 25 Poll: Where LSU Football Stands After Week 11

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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