Florida’s Lagway Continues to Show Rust
Through two weeks of play, it has become apparent that Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is not himself.
The sophomore entered this season projected as one of the top signal callers in college football. But he has yet to demonstrate it. Sure, Lagway has completed 74.5% of his passes with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4-to-1. Yet, the effects of not practicing in the spring and most of fall camp have led to some early-season rust.
For the second game in a row, Lagway missed a multitude of throws where receivers were open down the field. Against USF, that was especially noticeable, overthrowing tight ends Tony Livingston and Hayden Hansen in the end zone two separate times.
His sole interception came after he decided to launch on the run across his body to receiver J.Michael Sturdivant, who was covered and never had a chance because the ball was overthrown. Additionally, on Florida’s final possession, Lagway had two bad throws that cost the Gators a chance to seal the game.
On first down, Lagway missed receiver Vernell Brown III on an out route. Two plays later, on third down, Lagway had a wide-open Brown going up the left sideline. But he overshot him just enough for it to fall incomplete.
Somewhat surprisingly, Lagway did not seem concerned with the number of overthrows.
“It’s football, I’m going to miss some throws,” Lagway said. “It’s all about how you bounce back. Next week, I’m going to continue to work on our connection, continue to work on our timing and stuff like that.”
Lagway finished 23-of-33 for 222 yards with one touchdown and one interception and a 58.8 quarterback rating (QBR) against USF.
The overthrows have been Lagway’s Achilles’ heel thus far, and a lot of it has to do with all the missed time this offseason. Lagway did not practice all spring due to a hernia-type injury and right-shoulder injury. A day before fall camp, Lagway suffered a calf strain that sidelined him for the first few practices. But he was limited enough throughout the entire camp that he was unable to consistently work with his pass-catchers.
While Lagway’s injuries may be why he has not looked the same to start the year, he shot down any rumors that he still may not be 100% after the game on Saturday.
“I feel great. I feel great where my body’s at right now,” Lagway said. “I’m still working on some things mechanically. Like I said, I’m just excited for the grind.”
The dynamic arm talent and pocket awareness that Gator fans watched at the end of last season have been lacking, too. Lagway averaged 10 yards per attempt in 2024, but that number has dipped to 6.7 this year. Instead of taking what’s there, Lagway has shown tendencies not to work through his progressions and force the ball into coverage.
“Part of playing quarterback is taking what the defense gives you, and eventually they’ll give you the game. So, you got the ball in your hands, you’re the decision-maker, and obviously, he knows where he needs to improve. And he will improve,” Napier said. “He’s done it in the past; he’s done it within both games. [He] just has to do it on a consistent basis.”
Napier acknowledged that the offseason injuries have played a factor in Lagway’s play thus far, but says he is seeing improvements the more playing time Lagway gets.
“I thought he made a lot of steps forward in the game Saturday. I think he’s still getting comfortable, and you guys can see that, much like he can and we can,” Napier said. “But he did a lot of good things in the game. I think he’s still getting into a rhythm. This was his third week of practice. You can see that, getting comfortable with some of these skill players. I think he’s really close to having a huge day.”
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC, USF
