When DJ Lagway took the field against LIU to open the 2025 season for Florida, he looked a bit rusty in some spots, but his overall performance didn't raise too many alarm bells. When Florida lost to USF, it was clear Lagway was struggling with his footwork, but it still wasn't a disaster of a performance from Lagway specifically.
But five interceptions later, and it's clear the Lagway is not the same QB we saw electrify college football in 2024. And his stunted offseason has now come back into focus with questions of how much it impacted the former five-star.
DJ Lagway looks to return to form
CBS Sports just ran a deep dive on Lagway's offseason. A lot of it isn't necessarily "new" for Gator fans who paid attention, but it does provide a timeline of how everything went down this offseason:
- Lagway had shoulder pain return that was originally attributed to a baseball injury
- In January, Lagway sees two separate medical professionals
- Sometime early this year, Lagway had surgery to address a "core muscle" issue
- In March, Billy Napier announced Lagway would be limited during the spring game
- In April, Lagway didn't play in the spring game
- In May, Lagway was back to throwing up to 210 passes a week
- In July, Lagway suffered a calf injury that knocked him out for the bulk of camp
The piece went on to note that Lagway didn't throw on back-to-back days until late August, essentially two weeks prior to Florida's opener against LIU.
Hiding in plain sight
Most Gator fans held out hope that Lagway's overall talent would be able to overcome the missed time from this offseason, but it is obvious it has taken a toll. Even if we ignore the play calling from Napier that hasn't put Lagway in "easy" situations, Lagway's football has been terrible, and the zip on his passes has been nonexistent.
If Lagway had just missed the spring but was good to go during the fall, things might have been different. But the calf injury to open fall camp also forced Napier's tone and messaging on Lagway to change.
When Napier first announced Lagway would be limited in the spring, he said:
"And we've consulted with quite a few experts here from UF Health, from a national perspective. I think in general, he'll be able to do quite a bit. But there will be some limitations."
But after throwing five interceptions against LSU, Napier made sure to point out Lagway's offseason:
"I think we all understand the dynamic here. You know, this was his fourth week of full practice. You know, he’s had a very unique offseason. He’s missed quite a bit of time. But I would say that what he’s going to say to you is that he’s not going to use that as a crutch."
Napier shifted from being concerned but seemingly hopeful that Lagway would be fine this offseason to having to accept that his QB just never made the jump he needed to make due to all the time he missed.
The problem is that either way, Florida doesn't have the luxury of waiting around if Lagway continues to self-implode. The Gators don't have anyone proven sitting behind Lagway, but if Lagway can't piece things together, this 1-2 start can very easily wind up being a 1-5 start or beyond that results in lockers and offices being cleaned out at season's end.