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USA Today
07-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USA TODAY Sports ranked the top-25 teams' starting QBs. Where does DJ Lagway land?
The summer doldrums are here, and as we await the start of the 2025 college football season at the end of August, there are still plenty of predictions and rankings to churn out ahead of the nation's favorite gridiron game. Among those in the sports media taking advantage of the dog days leading up to the upcoming campaign are USA TODAY Sports writers Paul Myerberg, Blake Toppmeyer, Eddie Timanus, Jordan Mendoza and Erick Smith, who recently submitted their list of elite college football quarterbacks, ranking each preseason top-25 school's starting quarterbacks. Among them was Florida Gators sophomore gunslinger DJ Lagway, who ranks among the top 10 at No. 7 — behind fellow SEC signal-caller John Mateer (Oklahoma) and ahead of conference peer LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina). "The Gators ignited after Lagway became their starter midway through his true freshman season," the group offers. "We probably haven't seen the best of him yet. A hamstring injury hampered his dual-threat abilities in 2024. Durability is an issue with Lagway. He's spent the offseason recovering from a throwing shoulder injury. When healthy, he's a big play in waiting. He throws an excellent deep ball, connecting on more than 52% of his throws that traveled more than 20 yards." DJ Lagway's 2024 stats The 6-foot-3-inch, 239-pound signal-caller out of Willis, Texas, appeared in 12 of Florida's 13 games last season while logging seven starts. The Gators won six of those games he opened up under center, with the lone loss coming against the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville — a game he was knocked out of with a lower-body injury after rallying his team in the first half. Lagway completed 59.9% of his passes for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns against nine interceptions last fall. He also amassed a multitude of accolades, including a spot on the FWAA Freshman All-American Team, as well as ESPN Freshman All-American, 247Sports True Freshman All-American, On3 True Freshman All-American, PFF True Freshman All-American, CFN Freshman Quarterback of the Year and All-American, plus the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl MVP award. USA TODAY Sports top-25 teams QB rankings 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.
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Florida football's quarterback room rank in ESPN's 2025 FBS tiers?
Where does Florida football's quarterback room rank in ESPN's 2025 FBS tiers? The quarterback has historically been the keystone position in the sport of football and that fact still rings true in 2025. Championships are often won on the shoulders of the best signal-callers, especially at the college level. Looking ahead to next fall's campaign, ESPN reporter David Hale took a moment to rank all 136 FBS quarterback situations into tiers now that the dust has settled from the spring practice season. The full list comprises 20 total tiers that are also broken down into subdivisions based on his "Magic Eight Ball" predictions. The Florida Gators earned a spot in the top tier, second division entitled, "So hot right now," based on starter DJ Lagway and backup Harrison Bailey's presence under center. The category also included Texas Longhorns gunslingers Arch Manning and Matthew Caldwell, as well as Miami Hurricanes passers Carson Beck and Emory Williams. "The conversation around Manning and Lagway is two former five-star recruits who appear on the verge of breakout performances," Hale notes. "Their ceilings are ridiculously high, but their actual on-field production so far leaves plenty of room for questions." DJ Lagway's 2024 stats The 6-foot-3-inch, 239-pound signal caller out of Willis, Texas, appeared in 12 of Florida's 13 games last season while logging seven starts. The Gators won six of those games he opened up under center, with the lone loss coming against the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville — a game he was knocked out of with a lower-body injury after rallying his team in the first half. Lagway completed 59.9% of his passes for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns against nine interceptions last fall. He also amassed a multitude of accolades, including a spot on the FWAA Freshman All-American Team, as well as ESPN Freshman All-American, 247Sports True Freshman All-American, On3 True Freshman All-American, PFF True Freshman All-American, CFN Freshman Quarterback of the Year and All-American, plus the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl MVP award. 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.
USA Today
02-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where Florida football stands with DJ Lagway, quarterback room after spring practice
Where Florida football stands with DJ Lagway, quarterback room after spring practice College football's spring practice season is well in the rearview mirror now, as programs around the nation begin to turn their attention to the summer sessions that are coming up on the schedule. The good news for the Florida Gators is that their star quarterback, rising sophomore DJ Lagway, appears to be back on track after being held out of throwing drills and scrimmages during the spring months. It is now expected that he will be ready for UF's organized team activities when June rolls around. With that in mind, The Athletic's Antonio Morales presented his post-spring update, looking at where each of the Power Four's programs stand at the quarterback position. He offered the following on Lagway, plus a note on another signal-caller who saw plenty of practice time in his absence. "DJ Lagway is the face of the program but was limited this spring and didn't throw while recovering from shoulder soreness that has lingered for months. That provided Louisville transfer Harrison Bailey with plenty of reps this spring." DJ Lagway's 2024 stats The 6-foot-3-inch, 239-pound signal caller out of Willis, Texas, appeared in 12 of Florida's 13 games last season while logging seven starts. The Gators won six of those games he opened up under center, with the lone loss coming against the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville — a game he was knocked out of with a lower-body injury after rallying his team in the first half. Lagway completed 59.9% of his passes for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns against nine interceptions last fall. He also amassed a multitude of accolades, including a spot on the FWAA Freshman All-American Team, as well as ESPN Freshman All-American, 247Sports True Freshman All-American, On3 True Freshman All-American, PFF True Freshman All-American, CFN Freshman Quarterback of the Year and All-American, plus the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl MVP award. 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.
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida football's star quarterback DJ Lagway throwing again after shoulder injury layoff
Florida football's star quarterback DJ Lagway throwing again after shoulder injury layoff The Gator Nation got some good news earlier this week when Florida football's star quarterback DJ Lagway resumed throwing activities during the program's practice sessions. He had been limited in his participation this spring by a lingering shoulder injury, leaving many wondering what his prognosis will be. A video was posted on X — formerly known as Twitter — on Monday of Lagway throwing at CORTX Sports Performance near Jacksonville, Florida, where he has been working with the co-founder, Dr. Tom Gormely. According to its website, the 4,800-square-foot custom build-out in Ponte Vedra, Florida, provides all necessary sports science technology, equipment, and recovery gear needed for professional athletes. Tracking DJ Lagway's injury recovery Dr. Gormely has been involved in Lagway's recovery from an undisclosed injury to his throwing shoulder — a situation that Billy Napier has stated is "not unnormal" — that limited his spring reps. There also appears to be another undisclosed lower-body issue that he is working his way through. "DJ's doing great," Napier offered after the Orange and Blue game. After the final spring scrimmage, Napier projected that his star quarterback would be back throwing within a couple of weeks. It turns out, he was correct in his prediction, and Lagway is on track to be ready for June's practice season. DJ Lagway's 2024 stats The 6-foot-3-inch, 239-pound signal caller out of Willis, Texas, appeared in 12 of Florida's 13 games last season while logging seven starts. The Gators won six of those games he opened up under center, with the lone loss coming against the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville — a game he was knocked out of with a lower-body injury after rallying his team in the first half. Lagway completed 59.9% of his passes for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns against nine interceptions last fall. He also amassed a multitude of accolades, including a spot on the FWAA Freshman All-American Team, as well as ESPN Freshman All-American, 247Sports True Freshman All-American, On3 True Freshman All-American, PFF True Freshman All-American, CFN Freshman Quarterback of the Year and All-American, plus the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl MVP award. 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.
