DJ Lagway: We're gonna have the best o-line in America

During an interview with Florida quarterback DJ Lagway, Robert Griffin III asked him who he’s expecting to have a breakout season for the Gators in 2025. Instead of limiting his answer to a single player, Lagway praised Florida’s entire offensive line.

“I say the O-line. We got everybody coming back. I think the O-line is going to be the best in America,” Lagway said on Outta Pocket with RGIII. “Everybody is coming back. I think we’re just missing one but everybody else is returners. It’s going to click right away. I’m excited. It’s going to be good.”

Amid a tumultuous 2024 campaign, Florida’s offensive line was rock solid. The unit only allowed 20 sacks last season, the third-least in the SEC. It was a complete turnaround for the Gators, who gave up 39 sacks in the 2023 season.

Florida may have allowed even fewer sacks last season if Lagway hadn’t suffered an injury that limited his mobility late in the season. If all goes well, the former five-star prospect won’t have any similar limitations in the upcoming season.

Perhaps more importantly, he’ll have a year’s worth of experience under his belt. After veteran QB Graham Mertz suffered a season-ending injury in Week 7 last season, Lagway stepped into the starting role.

He finished the season with 1,915 passing yards and 12 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions. When asked who will lead Florida’s offensive line in the upcoming season, Lagway pointed to the man snapping him the ball.

“Jake Slaughter, our center. He was an All-American this year. He’s a great guy,” Lagway said.

Slaughter will be a redshirt senior in the 2025 campaign. He started all 13 games for Florida last season, leading the team in PFF offense, pass block and run block grades. For his efforts, he was named an AP All-American First Team selection.

Slaughter will be commanding a familiar corps next season. As Lagway mentioned, four of the team’s five starting offensive linemen are returning. In fact, the Gators only lost three offensive linemen this offseason, in total.

Florida will have three freshman offensive linemen on the roster next season to fill the gaps left by the former Gators. DJ Lagway can’t wait to see what Florida is capable of in his sophomore year.

“Obviously, it took some bumps in the roads, a lot of ups and downs this year,” Lagway said. “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.”