![Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) looks on 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_4971,h_2796/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01jnrja0yj4dc4tk5598.jpg "Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) looks on 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]")
Spring practice has opened, and one of the big early subplots for Florida Football is DJ Lagway's health. During his press conference yesterday, head coach Billy Napier announced that Lagway would be "limited" this spring to rest his shoulder and hamstring.
Depending on which rabbit hole one wants to go down, this is either something that we will all forget about in a month or the first warning sign of something far more troubling.
Florida Football: Choose Your Path
Mark Long of the Associated Press went on 1010XL and isn't buying the narrative Napier is trying to sell Gator Nation:
"There's something, and there is something going on over there."
Long would go on to explain that he asked Napier if Lagway had surgery and Napier said he didn't and in the words on Long he thinks something "fishy" in happening.
What is going on with DJ Lagway's shoulder?@APMarkLong feels something "fishy" is happening in Gainesville.#GoGators | #FloridaGators pic.twitter.com/6yD7MRND2S
— 1010 XL / 92.5 FM (@1010XL) March 6, 2025
This is where David Waters of Gators Breakdown and Zach Goodall of Swamp247 chime in to point out that last season, Lagway mentioned after the Samford game that he was dealing with some shoulder discomfort.
From post-game vs Samford… https://t.co/vcUy6Zp6Gj pic.twitter.com/yjhyOMzych
— David Waters - Gators Breakdown (@GatorDave_SEC) March 7, 2025
We all know that Florida's hopes ride with Lagway in 2025. Even if Lagway had a shoulder issue back in August/September, it's possible he just played through it without making it a big deal. If Napier and crew feel that there is even the slightest chance of something going wrong in the offseason, then it is better to err on the side of caution and ensure that Lagway is good to go for the regular season.
Is it worth panicking? Probably not, because if Lagway had to play today, the vibe seems to be that he could.
It is worth raising an eyebrow that if Lagway didn't have surgery as Napier claims, then how lingering is the hamstring and shoulder discomfort? Who is to say Lagway will ever make it through a full season without issues if it is taking this long to feel 100%?