Will Florida Quarterback DJ Lagway Play Against the LSU Tigers?

Lagway continues rehabbing a hamstring injury, "trending in the right direction" ahead of Saturday's matchup.

Oct 19, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) shakes hands while entering the locker room after a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

No. 21 LSU (6-3, 3-2) will hit the road to Gainesville this weekend for a Southeastern Conference showdown against Billy Napier and the Florida Gators in Week 12.

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, Lagyway is "trending in the right direction," according to Napier.

What's the latest buzz surrounding Lagway's status?

The Latest on Lagway:

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.” 

Now, Napier has provided another update on Lagway's status during Wednesday's 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.”

Florida has turned to third-string signal-caller Aidan Warner with Lagway down.

The Gators have battled the injury bug in 2024 with starting quarterback Graham Mertz suffering a torn ACL earlier in the season. Now, it's 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.”

Who's on the Injury Report for LSU?

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 be a player "questionable" 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.”

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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