DJ Lagway reveals how Florida used Billy Napier hot seat talk as motivation: 'They were disrespecting our coach'

Early in the 2024 season, there was plenty of chatter about Billy Napier’s future at Florida. The Gators started the year with two blowout losses – including the season opener against Miami – and faced one of the toughest schedules in the SEC.

But a late-season surge, including upset wins over LSU and Ole Miss, resulted in an 8-5 record and Napier staying put as UF head coach. DJ Lagway was a big part of that success as he burst onto the scene as a freshman, and he admitted the hot-seat talk around Napier was a driving force of motivation.

Lagway said the Gators took the “disrespect” toward Napier to heart. They continued to play hard for their coach, and it resulted in an impressive turnaround to end the year on a four-game win streak.

“That was definitely motivation because I feel like they were disrespecting our coach and disrespecting us, genuinely,” Lagway said on Outta Pocket with Robert Griffin III. “So we had to go out there and show them what we had. Obviously, it took some bumps in the roads, a lot of ups and downs this year.

“But I feel like, at the end, we kind of pulled it all together and figured it out. Hopefully, we can put that momentum to the 2025 season.”

Florida announced its commitment to Napier Nov. 7. Two days later, the Gators – riddled with injuries, including DJ Lagway – got blown out by Texas. But things rounded into form the next week as they got back to full strength.

Florida took down LSU at The Swamp in Week 12 and turned around to beat Ole Miss at home the following week. That made the Gators bowl-eligible, and they weren’t done yet. They cruised past Florida State in the finale to complete a 7-5 regular season, and that set the stage for the first bowl victory under Napier against Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.

After completing the 8-5 record through a gauntlet of a schedule, Florida’s success continued to translate off the field. The Gators rose up the recruiting rankings to land the No. 11-ranked class in the country, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. The headliner of the group is five-star wide receiver Vernell Brown III – the No. 30 overall player from the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.