DJ Lagway on Billy Napier returning in 2025: ‘We’re going to change this place'

DJ Lagway believes in Billy Napier returning to Florida for next season and truly believes they’ll change things.

Changing things to get it back to its heyday and improving upon those glory years is a tough task. But it’s a challenge Lagway and Napier are up for.

The freshman quarterback was high off a win over LSU and can’t wait to keep developing.

“That means a lot, man, you know, just being the second year in the offense, you know, is huge,” Lagway said. “You know, just having the guys around it, rally behind that and like, truly, like, we’re gonna change this. And that’s the whole vibe in the locker room, that we’re gonna change this place, and we’re gonna make it what it used to be. 

“From a recruiting standpoint, I feel like that was huge as well. You know, I had a lot of guys hit me up after they seen that, you know, texting me, trying to see, you know, what’s, what’s going on but yeah, it’s great.”

It’s good news for Florida’s recruits too. With consistency, comes better play, usually anyway.

“My kind of response to that is just like we got the best fan base in the country,” Lagway said. “We got coaches that care and they’re going to develop you, make sure a better player and person on and off the field … I see it.”

Lagway finished the game 13-of-26 passing for 226 yards and one touchdown in the 27-16 win over LSU. 

“Let me tell you something. As a coach, it’s always been about purpose. The players are the purpose, right,” Napier said postgame. “For them to experience the gratification. Now, these guys have been an incredible example of the intangibles that we want our team to be about. The way they’ve stuck together. Obviously, a ton of adversity …

“I think the (DJ Lagway) wanted to play last week. We felt like we were doing what was right by him. He didn’t miss a rep all week. The training staff did a great job. You know, he was probably 85 percent tonight, but played from within the pocket.”

Like Lagway, Napier said there was more work to do. But they were proud of the effort Saturday and hopefully moving forward.

“A lot we can do better,” Napier said. “Hats off to the entire team. I thought we played complementary football. The defense was outstanding. And man, it was electric in here tonight.”