Five observations from Florida Football's depth chart ahead of facing Samford

Heading into week two of the season for Florida Football, the Gators have released their depth chart ahead of their matchup against Samford. With a combination of injuries and other undisclosed decisions, there has been some shuffling in the depth chart.

The following are five notable observations from the Week 2 depth chart.

The Future Is Now

The headline change on the chart is DJ Lagway getting the nod as the starting QB. Graham Mertz left the Miami game with a concussion, and it is unclear when he will be cleared to return.

While there had been some rumblings that Mertz could still play, it felt obvious that Lagway was always going to be the starter on Saturday.

Offensive Line Merry Go Round

Earlier in the week Billy Napier had hinted there could be more shuffling along the offensive line after a dismal performance against Miami. Four of the five starters from that game remain, but Napier has elevated Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson as the starter at right tackle over Kamryn Waites.

Waites had a rough game against Miami after winning the starting job over Crenshaw-Dickson late in camp. As it played out, Crenshaw-Dickson wound up getting more snaps.

As we suggested earlier in the week, we would like to see Arkansas transfer Devon Manuel also get some looks for this spot, though as of now he is still listed as a backup at left tackle behind Austin Barber.

Jackson Missing In Action

Florida hasn't formally released their injury report, but Napier rattled off some names of those who will miss the game against Samford. One name he did not mention was Kahleil Jackson.

That is worth monitoring because Jackson also isn't listed on the wide receiver depth chart. Jackson took 19 snaps against Miami and had one catch on three targerts.

Jackson has always drawn praise from the coaching staff, but we are on record that we would like to see more of Aidan Mizell. Mizell is essentially listed as the 4th wide receiver on the depth chart heading into Saturday.

Next Man Up

Napier did confirm four injuries to the defense that will require shuffling of the lineup. Asa Turner and Devin Moore left the Miami game early with an injury and will miss this Saturday. Turner will be replaced by DJ Douglas while Moore will have Ja'Keem Jackson in his spot.

Safety depth, in particular, is thin heading into Saturday. Behind Douglas is true freshman Gregory Smith III, an athletic but raw four-star prospect the Gators picked up late in their 2024 class.

Sharif Denson and Joey Slackman were also left off the depth chart, and Napier confirmed they were out with injuries, too. Aaron Gates and Caleb Banks will take their spots in the lineup.

Still No Cormani

After coming over to Florida from Colorado, Cormani McClain hasn't had his name pop up since camp began. There were early reports that he was still struggling behind the scenes and then reports he had an injury during camp, but since then, it has been radio silence.

McClain was seen in uniform against Miami, but he did not play.

Even though Florida has some injuries to their secondary, McClain still isn't listed on the depth chart against Samford.