Reviewing the Florida Gators QB room after spring ball

One of the only storylines that carried any weight for Florida Football throughout spring practice was the health and status of DJ Lagway. The Gators rested the rising sophomore all spring in hopes of having his shoulder 100% once fall camp opens.

Because of his health, the backup QB situation was brought into closer view, and he was under greater scrutiny.

Florida listed eight QBs on its roster this spring and this is the status of the room now that spring practice is over.

Florida Football: Save us DJ Lagway, you're our only hope

There is no way to overstate the value of Lagway heading into the 2025 campaign. Any prediction this offseason that envisions Florida having a big season is going to start and end with Lagway being who we think we will be.

But even if his shoulder is 100% once the season starts and even though he is slated to start throwing soon, according to Billy Napier, the reality is Lagway has yet to build any meaningful timing with his receivers.

Maybe this will matter, maybe it won't, but it will be a subplot to keep an eye on early in the season.

Harrison Bailey looks the part

There had been some rumblings that Harrison Bailey was falling behind in camp, and he was placed in the second unit in the spring game.

But based on what the public was able to see on Saturday, there seems to be next to no reason why Bailey shouldn't be the backup once the season actually begins.

Bailey has limited in-game experience for being a 5th year senior, but he seems to have an awareness of where throws need to go and how to get them there on time.

He's no Lagway, but he feels competent enough to scrape out a game or two if needed.

Thank you for your time Aidan Warner

There is just no way around it that Aidan Warner isn't good enough to be an SEC-level QB. On a day when the defense was playing static zones with a banged-up secondary and the benefit of playing with the first-team receivers, Warner was 10/23 for 157 yards, with over 2/3 of those yards coming from check-down throws with yards after the catch.

If Bailey can't beat out Warner for the official backup job, there should be some serious questions about what is happening behind the scenes in Gainesville.

Don't forget about Tramell Jones

We didn't get to see much of Tramell Jones, the freshman four-star QB out of Mandarin, on Saturday. He is viewed as a project QB for the Gators, and depending upon how Lagway's time in Gainesville shakes out could dictate whether or not we ever see Jones take meaningful snaps in Gainesville.

Are we convinced Clay Millen is a real person?

One of the most maddening moments from 2024 was Napier's outright refusal to even consider Clay Millen when it was clear that Warner was out of his depth against Georgia and Texas.

Napier never indicated that Millen was hurt; he just claimed that Warner was the better option.

Millen came to Gainesville with actual FBS experience during his time at Colorado State and played in the spring game for the Gators in 2024, but for whatever reason, he wasn't tapped once Graham Mertz and Lagway went down.

He is still on the roster for 2025, but at this point he is the 5th string QB at best.

Don't forget about us

Florida has three other QBs listed on its roster, all walk-ons:

Lawrence Wright IV is the son of former Gator Lawrence Wright III, the elder of whom was on the 1996 national title team and is credited with the phrase, "If you ain't a Gator, you must be Gator Bait!"

Aaron Williams threw for over 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns his senior year at Winter Park High.

Likewise, Paul Kessler also threw for over 2,000 yards and 28 touchdowns his senior year at Venice High in Los Angeles.