Florida Football phenom DJ Lagway beats Arch Manning as "Way Too Early" All-American

If one were to sum up the hopes and dreams of Florida Football fans for the 2025 season, the primary answer would boil down to DJ Lagway. The rising sophomore is undefeated in games that he started and finished in 2024, and with a full offseason as the unquestioned starter, there is a feeling that the ceiling for the Gators could be a berth in the playoffs and beyond.

But it is not just Gator fans who are bullish on Lagway, as On3 just named him their "Way Too Early" Preseason All-American for 2025.

Florida Football: Go DJ

Lagway wasn't the only Gator to make the list, as center Jake Slaughter also got love after his All-American season in 2024.

But the headliner is Lagway, and what's notable about On3 putting him on this pedestal is that he earned the honor ahead of Arch Manning.

Manning hasn't actually played extended snaps of college football during his two years at Texas, but that hasn't stopped the hype train from starting to make comparisons to Tim Tebow.

If you are keeping score at home, Tebow won the Heisman in his second year of college while Manning sat behind Quinn Ewers.

There are other notable QBs beat out for this list, including Carson Beck, Cade Klubnik, Nico Iamaleava, Garrett Nussmeier, and LaNorris Sellers.

For Lagway to live up to his billing in 2025, step one is to stay healthy. His hamstring injury against Georgia limited his running ability when he did return during Florida's four-game winning streak.

Step two is to develop a better intermediate ball.

Step three is to diagnose coverages a bit better as teams started to exploit dropping linebackers to pick up some interceptions on Lagway.

But if he can stay healthy and fix those things, the ceiling is the limit for Lagway in 2025 and the hope is he can drag the rest of the Gators with him.