![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier and Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) watch during spring football practice at Heavener Football Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 6, 2025. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_5098,h_2867/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01k1bk0r2p1mn9jcqajq.jpg "Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier and Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) watch during spring football practice at Heavener Football Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 6, 2025. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]")
Entering the 2025 campaign, Billy Napier's coaching seat is far from safe. While there is reason for optimism and a belief that the Florida Gators can go on a run this year, there is also a pathway that Napier could be fired before the Georgia game.
Any pathway that involves Napier still being in Gainesville in 2026 almost requires a healthy DJ Lagway. But the latest injury news surrounding the star QB can't make Napier feel too confident about still being employed come December.
Wear and tear are already getting DJ Lagway
As news has trickled out that Lagway is in a walking boot, it's the type of news that in a vacuum means nothing, but in a broader context starts to raise some real questions.
This is the fourth publicly acknowledged issue Lagway has had within the last 12 months:
- Napier said Lagway had a shoulder issue to open the 2024 season
- Lagway injured his hamstring against Georgia
- Lagway was held out of spring camp due to a shoulder issue and a hernia issue
- Lagway is in a walking boot, with fall camp about to open
At the rate this is going, what's next for Lagway? Hangnail, bone spur, tonsillitis?
None of this is Lagway's fault, but even if he is 100% healthy and no new issues crop up before the start of the season, the deeper problem is that Lagway keeps getting sidelined during the time of the year when he would be getting valuable reps with his receivers.
And if you are Napier, you can't really afford to have Lagway miss all these reps.
Napier's job is essentially dependent upon Lagway being a top-three QB in the SEC. Napier can tweet out "Spot the ball" all he wants, but Florida's four-game stretch against LSU, Miami, Texas, and Texas A&M all feature matchups where Florida could be at a QB disadvantage if Lagway is at 70% or if Florida is forced to turn to a backup.
And if Florida goes 0-4 during that stretch, Napier might not make it to Jacksonville to take on Georgia.
The hope of all Gator fans is that this is just a minor footnote in what will be an otherwise successful season.
But the opening of training camp is supposed to be a time for optimism, and this latest Lagway news creates a headache nobody wanted.