DJ Lagway sends message to Florida fans ahead of his first career start vs. Samford
DJ Lagway is ready for the spotlight. On Thursday, Florida‘s freshman QB posted a message to Gator Nation on social media, asking them to pack The Swamp for his first collegiate start.
On Wednesday, Florida head coach Billy Napier named Lagway the team’s Week 2 starter. Quarterback Graham Mertz left Florida’s season-opening 41-17 loss against Miami in the second half with a concussion.
Lagway saw limited action against the Hurricanes. In the loss, the freshman QB completed 3-of-his-6 pass attempts for 31 yards and threw an interception. Lagway also recorded four carries for 20 yards. After the game, Florida head coach Billy Napier evaluated Lagway’s performance.
“I think he did a lot of good things, in particular the second drive there we got to some things where he had success,” Napier said. “Threw some great individual cuts, some good movement passes, made a few plays with his feet. I thought the players around him played well.
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“It’s good. One of the positives was he had some success, and we were able to go down and score a touchdown with him in the game. Obviously, he’s a young player, but he’ll continue to work and improve. He’s got a bright future.”
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Although Lagway didn’t shatter any records in his collegiate debut, he has no shortage of promise. He was the No. 1 quarterback and No. 3 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to On3 Industry Rankings.
Before the game against Miami, Florida legend Tim Tebow raved about Lagway’s potential.
“DJ Lagway, our freshman quarterback, I think he’s extremely special,” Tebow said. “It’s not to take away from Graham, because I think Graham is the leader of the team. But I think DJ can step in and help in a lot of areas and I think give D-coordinators a couple of nightmares.”
Lagway will look to make Samford his first victim. In its season opener, Samford fell 38-29 to West Georgia. In the loss, Samford’s defense allowed 456 yards, including 271 yards through the air.
Now, DJ Lagway will have a chance to build confidence against Samford’s struggling defense. On Saturday, Florida will square off against Samford at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.