DJ Lagway's health this offseason has enough content to be its own standalone Netflix series. Lagway missed the spring with a shoulder and hernia issue, then seemed poised to start camp at 100% before straining his calf and being limited all August.
At his press conference on Monday, Billy Napier gave a key update that should help Gator fans breathe a little easier with the opener against LIU looming less than two weeks away.
DJ Lagway takes another step forward
Napier confirmed that Lagway took part in 11 v 11 drills for the first time since fall camp opened and seems to be pleased with where his star QB is at:
"He took team reps today, which was good, and obviously he was hitting (his throws). He had a great full stack of throws last week, four days in a row, didn't scrimmage but did quite a bit of work that day. So yeah, he's feeling much better and he's moving around well."
As Napier alluded to, Lagway missed both scrimmages that the Gators have done, and he had been relegated to either 7 v 7 drills or throwing routes against air that don't require him to move around.
It's fair to ask how much the missed time is going to impact Lagway, but the reality is that we just won't know until he takes the field for real against LIU and beyond.
Considering the alternative option of Lagway getting zero reps prior to the opener, this is a positive development for the Gators.
Florida enters the 2025 season as one of the perceived bubble teams to make the playoffs. The AP and Coaches polls both have Florida outside of the top 12, but some individual personalities like Josh Pate have high hopes for the Gators.
But almost all predictions involving the Gators hinge on a healthy Lagway, and Florida fans hope he continues to take these positive steps forward and this offseason is all just a backdrop we all forget about by the end of the season.