Earlier in the season, demands for the highly-anticipated freshman quarterback DJ Lagway to play were primarily driven by curiosity. The Florida Gators had a seasoned veteran starter in Graham Mertz, yet the potential of Lagway was too significant to overlook. Shortly after Mertz was ruled out for the season due to a knee injury and Lagway was starting to secure the starting position, the 19-year-old freshman experienced a seemingly equally severe injury.
Thankfully for the Gators, DJ Lagway’s hamstring injury sustained during the Georgia game turned out to be less severe than initially feared, and after sitting out only one game, he seems ready to play in an important home match against the LSU Tigers on Saturday afternoon.
“DJ is making progress,” coach Billy Napier stated Wednesday during an SEC teleconference, according to Thomas Goldkamp of On3 Sports. “I believe we’ve observed advancements daily, which has enabled him to engage more in practice.” Clearly, we’re somewhat managing that environment, but overall I believe we persist in moving in the right direction.
Having Lagway return to the field this Saturday would be crucial for a Gators team that is struggling to achieve bowl eligibility. Florida has a record of 4-5 this season and must achieve six wins to prevent experiencing their first back-to-back missed bowl game seasons since 1986. Faced with an LSU defense that has struggled against mobile quarterbacks this season, exposing a healthy Lagway in the Swamp might pose issues for the Tigers.
“I believe that, due to their formation and defensive style, one effective method to counter that is by involving the quarterback [in the running game], correct?” Napier remarked.
“Clearly our circumstances are somewhat unique, but ultimately we will take the necessary steps to handle DJ and his injury issue.”
Throughout the season, Lagway has achieved a 61 percent completion rate on his passes, totaling 1,071 yards, with six touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also run for 114 yards. To achieve bowl eligibility, the Gators must secure victories in two of their last three games. Their rivals are LSU, Ole Miss, and Florida State.
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