The early promise of Florida quarterback DJ Lagway during his freshman season went a long way towards securing coach Billy Napier a fourth season with the Gators. The program has high hopes entering 2025, with Lagway set to enter his first full year as starting quarterback, but the young gunslinger has been limited all spring.
According to a report by USA Today's Matt Hayes, the situation may be worse than the program has let on.
Napier said that Lagway would be limited as a passer at the outset of spring, as he deals with a shoulder injury. Hayes reports that he hasn't thrown at all during spring football and could require surgery. Additionally, Lagway has been nursing a lower body injury, which Hayes reports is a core injury.
“I think our intentions here are to be very smart,” Napier said in March as spring practice began, per the Associated Press. “I do think he’ll be limited in throwing activities. But he’ll participate in all practices otherwise. We’ve done a lot of homework here relative to the things he went through as a player. He was an absolute warrior and a great competitor that showed toughness.”
The Gators coach has expressed optimism in the weeks since, saying that Lagway is "doing great" last week, while he "has been modified in terms of his ability to throw the ball.”
While there more than four months until Florida opens its season on Aug. 30 against LIU. The Gators' first big test comes just two weeks later at LSU.
If Lagway isn't ready, Florida's backup options aren't ideal. Harrison Bailey—playing for his fourth team after stops at Tennessee, UNLV and Louisville—had a strong Sun Bowl MVP performance to end his time with the Cardinals, throwing for three touchdowns, but hasn't seen regular playing time in five college seasons. Aidan Warner, a walk-on that transferred in from Yale after 2023, struggled last season, throwing three interceptions in a start vs. Texas in '24.
Florida will play its Blue & Orange Game at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday. Although his status is uncertain, Lagway is listed as a quarterback on the Blue roster.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Florida QB DJ Lagway Dealing With Two Notable Injuries During Spring Football.
