Florida QB DJ Lagway expected to start for Gators vs. Samford

On Saturday, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is expected to make his first career start as the Gators square off against Samford according to Billy Napier. Lagway will replace Graham Mertz, who left Florida’s 41-17 season-opening loss against Miami in the second half after suffering 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.

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“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.

“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, Lagway will have a chance to build confidence against Samford’s struggling defense.

His teammates have no shortage of confidence in him.

“I was super proud of DJ,” senior wide receiver Chimere Dike said on Saturday. “To step in that spot is not easy, and the way he continued to compete for four quarters shows the kind of character he has, and I’ve seen that since day one with him.

“He’s a guy who does things the right way, who works super hard and obviously is super talented, as well… I wasn’t surprised to see him moving the offense and having success.”

Florida and Samford will clash on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.