Gators Backup Quarterback Situation Still Up for Grabs
Coach Billy Napier named sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway the starter for his Florida Gators on Monday. Napier has yet to name a backup to Lagway, however.
“We’ll see, you know? We’ll see. I think we’ve got a big week coming up, and we’re not ready to make any declarations there publicly. More to see,” he said Monday in his weekly press conference.
The Gators have five other quarterbacks on the roster, but only three of them have seen action in a game in their collegiate careers. The battle appears to be between Louisville grad transfer Harrison Bailey, redshirt sophomore Aidan Warner and true freshman Tramell Jones Jr.
Bailey is coming off a strong performance in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. There, he earned MVP honors after throwing for three touchdowns in a 35-34 win against the Washington Huskies.
However, Bailey saw little action during the regular season as he was a backup to New Orleans Saints second-round pick Tyler Shough. The grad transfer also previously played at Tennessee and UNLV. During the Orange and Blue Spring Game, he threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns.
Warner served as the third-string backup last season for Florida but ended up playing against Samford and Kentucky. He entered against Georgia for an injured Lagway and got his first career start against Texas. Warner did not play well in either of the games where he got consistent snaps, throwing three interceptions across the two games.
“I think all of our quarterbacks have taken advantage of the reps. Aidan, in particular, was taking a big step in the right direction,” Napier said at the time.
The third option is freshman Tramell Jones Jr, who was a four-star recruit according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He chose the Gators in November 2024, three days after decommitting from rival Florida State. The four-star also held offers from Miami, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.
Some concerns have been raised about the Gators not having a definite backup quarterback for Week One against LIU due to Lagway’s injury history. Lagway himself replaced the then-starting quarterback Graham Mertz.
Lagway went down with a hamstring injury in his freshman year against Georgia and had to miss the Texas game. He also had shoulder and core problems over the spring, which he said are no longer a concern in July. He also had a sports hernia surgery and suffered a calf strain at the beginning of camp.
Still, Napier stated he was healthy when he announced that he would be the starter.
“It’s still very much a battle. I wish I had more clarity, but I don’t, so we’ll continue to work with that group this week,” he said.
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football
