Florida's Napier: Lagway's 2nd year 'will be something special'

Florida head coach Billy Napier thinks quarterback DJ Lagway is ready for a breakout season after he battled injuries during his freshman campaign.

"He showed tremendous grit and toughness, played through some injuries," Napier said at SEC media days, according to The Athletic's Seth Emerson. "I think Year 2 for him will be something special."

Lagway started the 2024 season as Graham Mertz's backup, but he was thrust into the starting role after Mertz suffered a head injury in the season opener and was placed in concussion protocol. The two quarterbacks split time as lead signal-caller until October, when Mertz sustained a season-ending injury.

The 19-year-old Lagway was dealing with a shoulder ailment to start his college career that forced him to miss some practices. He also exited a November contest against Georgia with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for one game.

Lagway, a former five-star recruit and the highest-rated quarterback on ESPN's 300 for the 2024 class, completed 60% of his throws for 1,915 yards with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a freshman. He also racked up 101 yards rushing in 12 games.

"I'm feeling great, training's been amazing," Lagway said. "I'm actually getting better at things, I'm not just trying to get back to throwing the ball, I've been working on mechanics that's going to help my accuracy this year, help my decision-making."

Florida went 8-5 last season in Napier's third year as head coach. The Gators will kick off their 2025 campaign Aug. 30 against Long Island University.