DJ Lagway talks EA Sports College Football 26, Florida Gators' upcoming 2025 campaign
One of the most storied sports video games is on the verge of its latest release and the Florida Gators have front-cover representation in this year's edition.
EA Sports College Football 26, a franchise that stretches back over three decades, has current UF quarterback DJ Lagway on its cover next to Gators legend Tim Tebow among a plethora of the top players in the sport. While the Orange and Blue's gun-slinger did not earn the top billing on the marquee — that went to Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams and Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith — it was still an immense honor for the rising sophomore.
Ahead of the game's much-anticipated release, Gators Wire had a chance to chat with Lagway about the experience with the EA Sports crowd as well as the upcoming college football season in Gainesville. Below is a look at our full, abridged conversation.
What was the experience like being featured in one of the most notable sports video game franchises?
"It was fun. It was an amazing experience just to be around all those great players and all those great legends that were there, and even coaches that were there at the shoot as well. And just being able to share that moment and that experience with those guys was life-changing. It was a blessing."
"Oh yeah, for sure. It's always great to see old faces and also meet new guys that you've always heard a lot about, but it is just always great to get around those guys that are high-level athletes just as yourself and just to be able to connect again and always just build that relationship."
"Oh yeah. I've grown up playing this game my whole life and it was just a blessing and like I said, a blessing, an honor just to be able to be on the deluxe cover. So yeah, I grew up playing the game."
"When I was younger, I always grew up playing with Baylor; just where my dad played at and just always creating dynasties with them and stuff like that."
"Yeah, I definitely say RG3 (Robert Griffin III) when he was on the cover and stuff like that. And playing dynasty modes with him and stuff was pretty cool."
"I haven't. I haven't got a chance to play it, so I'm excited when I get a chance to get on. It's going to be fun."
"Nah, not yet. No. So I'm excited to find out just like everybody else, so it's going to be cool once I get on in and see."
What was it like working through your injuries this offseason?
"Yeah, the injuries this year were definitely challenging to fight through, but I feel like it was something good for me long-term, just to let myself know that I can do it. Just being in the pocket and delivering the balls across the field and just not relying on my athletic abilities and being able to sit in the pocket and finding ways to win, and that was huge for me."
"Oh yes, sir. Without a doubt. Just going through adversity definitely makes you stronger and definitely helps you figure out different ways to get through things. So yeah, it's definitely made me stronger."
"Oh yeah, it was great being able to work with Dr. Tom Gormely and his crew (at CORTX Sports Performance) and just being able just to get better playing quarterback and just learning the little things about mechanics and just to be able to take my game to another level."
Now that you've ascended to the face of the program, how are you handling that pressure?
"I just keep it the same. I feel like God doesn't give you anything that you can't handle, so I just continue to be myself and just continue to understand what's at stake here and just continue to be a great representative for the University of Florida."
Tell us a little bit about what you've been doing off the field for Florida as a benefit to the community
"I've done a lot of community stuff thanks to Florida Victorious. They've helped us a lot, get out in the community and do a lot of different things for the community, and I feel like that's been a huge thing that even led me to Florida was the stuff that they helped us reach out to with the community aspect of it and stuff like that."
"I definitely say Habitat for Humanity. We go out there and we help build houses and stuff like that for people, and I think it's a great cause and it's just awesome."
How do you approach the Heisman Trophy expectations heading into fall?
"My mindset doesn't change. My mindset is just to continue to get better each and every day and not really focus on the outside noise, good or bad, just continue to take it day by day and continue to work hard and work on the things that I need to improve on."
"Not at all. I'm just not really focused on (social media). Of course. I don't just turn social media off, but I just really just focus on my process and just continue to work hard."
How do you feel about your coaches and your fellow teammates heading into 2025?
"I feel great. I feel like everybody's working extremely hard and I feel like we're heading in the right direction. We're not there yet, but we got a lot of work to do and I'm just excited to put the work in with these guys and achieve the goals that we have this year."
Is there anyone in particular you're really looking forward to playing with?
"I feel like just as a unit, I feel like our defense is going to be really strong this year, and I'm excited for those guys to go out there and ball out and to be able to make special plays for us."
How many wins do you think the Gators are going to get?
"Our goal every week is just taking one game at a time and focus on first week LIU, and then we're going to continue to just stack days, and our coach always says, have a one-day contract. So always focus on the day that you have and make it the best day you can have and then focus on the next.
"So just really taking it one game at a time, one day at a time and the rest to take care of itself."
Do you have any particular goals as far as making it to the postseason or college football playoffs?
"Yeah, for sure. Our goal is just to continue to get better and continue to play our brand of football. And if we play our brand of football, the rest will take care of itself. And then that's kind of our goal. Just to go out there and play Gator football and be physical, be tough, be relentless, and the rest will take care of our stuff and our goals will happen."
EA Sports College Football 26 game details
Fans can dive into authentic gameplay across 136 FBS schools and experience the unrivaled passion of college football when EA SPORTS College Football 26 launches worldwide on July 10 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
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