Is it Time the Gators make a Change at Quarterback…Permanently?
In the shadow of Florida Quarterback DJ Lagway lingers a 4-star high school recruit that led Mandarin High School to the state championship game in 2023.
Tramell Jones Jr.
The now freshman Florida back-up quarterback, the first 3,000-yard passer in the Gateway Conference since 2013, continued to ride the bench since his collegiate debut against LIU.
This was all until Saturday when Interim head coach Billy Gonzales benched Lagway after 3 first half interceptions against unranked Kentucky.
At a press conference after the game Gonzales explained his role as a coach when he sees trouble amongst one of his players.
“It was my decision to take him out of the game at that point,” Gonzales said. “We were struggling. It’s not all on him, and I told him that. As a coach, it’s our responsibility if someone’s struggling, help them out or take them out so they’re not in that position to have to keep fighting through that.”
In his half of play against LIU, Jones Jr. threw for 131 yards, two touchdowns and completed 12 of 18 passes.
This time around, despite being thrown in the deep end in the second half of an SEC road game, the true freshman went 9/17 for 60 yards with zero turnovers. A stark contrast from Lagway’s three in the first half.
Under the former leadership of Head Coach Billy Napier, no matter the struggles Lagway faced at the helm, he refused to replace him on the field. After a ten point deficit loss in Death Valley, and throwing five interceptions, Napier explained his decision to keep him in.
“DJ’s our quarterback,” Napier said. “He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He made some tough, you know, made good decisions tonight, but he also made some bad decisions tonight, so, yeah. And, you’re talking about a guy (Jones) who, you know, he’s a rookie himself.”
With a now 3-6 record and the grips of Bowl eligibility slipping for the gators, we are now seeing the impact of Napier’s refusal.
In their fifth loss of the season against Georgia, Lagway’s mistakes continued to take over Florida fan’s conversations. Despite throwing for 166 yards and one touchdown, he underthrew a wide open J. Michael Sturdivant on a crucial fourth quarter third down that could have changed the outcome for the gators. As frustration and desperation grew with the Florida offense, Jones’ name continued to circulate in Gainesville.
Most recently as seen on Another Dooley Noted Podcast, Former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier shared his opinion on the topic.
“All I know is, in 2000 when we won our last SEC championship, Jesse Palmer would come in when Rex Grossman was going bad and win the game for us.” said Spurrier on the podcast.
He acknowledged that many coaches do turn away from the idea of switching their quarterbacks, but it should be known that offensive success is not limited to one talent on the field.
“We did it at Georgia, as a matter of fact, one of those years,” Spurrier said. That same year former quarterbacks Palmer and Grossman combined for more than 3,500 passing yards, leading Florida to win its final SEC title under Spurrier.
Even under Napier, the last minute switch from Graham Mertz to Lagway significantly changed the Gator’s 2024 season. His performance helped with crucial victories like an upset over No. 22 LSU. That was Florida’s first win against the Tigers since 2018.
Away from Florida football, quarterback changes have been proven to be a power move.
In 2018, now Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts shared a sideline with Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at the University of Alabama. Under Nick Saban, Hurts was replaced in the College Football Playoff Championship by Tagovailoa, after the junior struggled on a scoring drive.
With a 13-0 score and Georgia in the lead at half, freshman at the time, Tagovailoa took over leading the Crimson Tide to an overtime win (26-23). That same year Tua finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Similarly, this impact of switching quarterbacks was seen in College Station last season after Texas A&M coach Mike Elko benched starting quarterback Conner Weigman. After handing the ball over to Marcel Reed, the Aggies turned a halftime deficit into a 38-23 win over No.8 LSU in front of the third-largest crowd ever, 108,852, at Kyle Field.
With history in Florida’s fingertips, it’s fully up to the Gators to decide if continuity is worth risking losing football games. As Florida heads to No. 6 Ole Miss, Saturday, the question of who will take over the helm continues to rise.
Speaking on the topic, Gonzales mentioned that Lagway took first-team repetitions in practice but also continued with “competition is great for everybody.”
Florida’s reputation and doing what is best for the team falls under the Coach’s responsibility.
In a tense game against Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss, Florida fans now question if this is the right time for Jones to continue to get reps as a starting quarterback.
Who do you think should lead the Gators against Ole Miss?
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