After recovering from a shoulder injury that limited him during spring practice, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is now dealing with a lower body injury that required him to wear a walking boot ahead of the Gators’ fall camp, sources confirmed to CBS Sports’ Richard Johnson. Florida coach Billy Napier said Tuesday that the rising star will be limited to start camp and his return to action will come on a day-to-day basis.
Florida looks forward to getting its former five-star prospect back on the field in preseason camp after a shoulder ailment prevented Lagway from throwing passes in spring practice.
“The good thing is that I think we’re about a week removed,” Napier said. “In general, he’s made a lot of quick progress. But it will be something that we’re monitoring, and hopefully as we go, his ability to participate in practice will be a little bit more each opportunity that we get going forward.”
Adding to his list of bumps and bruises was another undisclosed lower body injury, which was apparently addressed earlier this offseason. At SEC Media Days, Lagway referred to it as one of the “[nooks] and crannies, little things that was lingering during the season.”
So long as the latest ailment remains a relatively minor issue, Lagway should be back on the field well in advance of Florida’s Week 1 game against Long Island. The Gators may go as Lagway goes this fall; a healthy version could make them a darkhorse contender to reach the SEC Championship Game.
“He’s done a good job staying connected and I think he still has a voice as a leader,” Napier said. “He’s still walking the halls, he’s still able to be a factor in that regard. He’s still a very young player and needs these reps for development as well. When he gets back, he’ll be just fine.”
Last season, Lagway stepped into action after starter Graham Mertz went down with injury. There were some ups and downs — he completed under 60% of his passes and had nine picks to 12 touchdown passes — but the highs were especially high for one of the top players from the 2024 signing class. Coming into the 2025 season, Lagway is expected to make a jump and considered a possible Heisman contender with +2500 odds to win the award at FanDuel.
If Lagway does miss time with his injury, the outlook gets bleaker for Florida. Most likely, Louisville transfer Harrison Bailey and Yale transfer Aidan Warner would battle it out for the starting role.
Bailey, who also played at Tennessee and UNLV, has yet to win and hold a starting job through five seasons in college football. He attempted just 171 passes in that time.
Warner is the only quarterback on the roster, outside of Lagway, who threw a pass for the Gators last season. With Lagway and Mertz both out for Florida’s game against Texas, Warner got the start in a 49-17 loss. He completed 12 of 25 passing attempts for 132 yards and two interceptions.
With games against LIU and USF in the first couple weeks, Florida could afford to hold Lagway out or give him a ramp-up period if needed. Beyond that, the Gators will have to navigate a gauntlet that includes road games against LSU, Miami and Texas A&M with a home game against Texas in the span of five weeks.
Read the full article here
