DJ Lagway recalls time with Graham Mertz: 'Best thing that could've ever happened to me'

When DJ Lagway arrived at Florida a year ago, he was the crown jewel of the Gators’ recruiting class. He joined a quarterback room that included Graham Mertz, who was preparing to once again serve as UF’s starter despite the Five Star Plus+ recruit’s arrival.

Lagway looked back fondly on his time with Mertz as a true freshman. In fact, he called it the “best thing that could’ve ever happened” to him.

During the recruiting process, Billy Napier told Lagway he’d learn plenty of lessons from Mertz. Although he was skeptical at first, Lagway did just that, and he still keeps in touch with his former teammate as he starts his NFL career with the Houston Texans.

“Having Graham Mertz was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me,” Lagway said on SiriusXM College Sports Radio. “I always tell this story, but Coach Napier came into my office going into my freshman year – it was like a home visit or whatever – came into the office, he was like, ‘Having Graham Mertz is going to be the best thing to ever happen for you.’ At first, I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ But looking back, Graham’s been an amazing resource and still is to this day.

“It’s great to have him back in my home city of Houston. We kind of chop it up about different things like what to go do down there and stuff like that. Graham is just an amazing resource to have and an amazing human being. I was just thankful to have him.”

Mertz started the season opener against Miami, but missed Week 2 – giving Lagway his first career starts. He then returned for Weeks 3-6, but a season-ending ACL injury cut his season short. That meant Lagway became QB1 the remainder of the year until he, too, suffered an injury. All told, in 12 games, he threw for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions.

Now fully recovered from both that issue and his limited participation in spring practice, DJ Lagway is generating plenty of excitement as Florida’s starting quarterback in 2025. As for how he’s handling the buzz, he said he’s focusing on his preparation and staying confident.

“The way I handle pressure and all that stuff, I kind of prepare during the week like crazy. And preparation leads to confidence,” Lagway said. “So once I get to Saturday, I already know that I put all the work in and did what I needed to do.

“And kudos to the coaching staff. They prepare us like crazy, Coach O’Hara and Coach Napier, they put together a plan for the quarterbacks and the team in general. When we get out there, we already know what’s going to happen, dang near. So it’s great.”