DJ Lagway injury update: Billy Napier reveals key news on Florida QB after Wednesday practice
Florida quarterback DJ Lagway practiced Wednesday as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury, head coach Billy Napier said. Another update on his status for Saturday’s game against Texas will come on Wednesday night’s availability report.
Lagway went down in the first half of Saturday’s rivalry game against Georgia and didn’t return. At halftime of that game, Napier said it was a “significant” hamstring injury, but he later said Florida received “positive information” that showed the injury wasn’t as serious as initially feared. Gators Online reported more details about the severity of the injury earlier this week.
Aidan Warner took over for Lagway – who was already starting in place of the injured Graham Mertz – against Georgia. He would also be in line to get the start if Lagway can’t go against Texas.
“It’s been great for DJ to be able to practice a little bit as well,” Napier said, via Gators Online’s Zach Abolverdi.
Entering Week 10, Lagway completed 62.8% of his passes for 1,024 yards and five touchdowns. Prior to his departure, he was 2-of-6 for 47 yards – including a 43-yard touchdown to Aidan Mizell. The injury occurred on a designed run, and Lagway later left the field on a cart and returned to the sidelines on crutches. Warner then took over the rest of the way as Florida eventually fell 34-20 in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party game.
Top 10
- 1Hot
Strength of Schedule
CFP Top 25 SOS ranking
- 2
Alabama needs a prayer
Tide can make the CFP but needs help
- 3
3 ACC teams in CFP?
Path for ACC outlined
- 4
Taco Bell offers Oklahoma
Brent Venables story pays dividends
- 5
New CFP Top 25
College Football Playoff rankings revealed
DJ Lagway arrived in Gainesville as a Five Star Plus+ prospect, meaning he was one of the only players ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five star. He was the No. 3 overall player from the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Lagway’s injury creates an important storyline for Florida’s Week 11 matchup against Texas, the latest ranked matchup for the Gators. As for how the Longhorns are approaching the quarterback uncertainty, Steve Sarkisian said the preparation is mostly around the scheme as a whole rather than who’s running the offense.
“I think you prepare for the scheme,” Sarkisian said. “You know, Coach Napier‘s been doing it for quite a while. His time at Lafayette and what he’s done at Florida. So, they’ve got a very intricate scheme. Lot of shifts, lot of motions, a lot of formation adjustments that they tax you with. So, I think that’s the first part. They’re in a little bit of limbo from a quarterback perspective, but at the end of the day, I think they’re going to run their offense and that’s what we have to prepare for.”