Steve Spurrier raves about DJ Lagway traits: 'The quarterback of the 2020s'

All eyes are on Florida‘s quarterback room as the Gators’ showdown against Texas A&M on Saturday grows closer. Redshirt senior Graham Mertz started in Florida’s Week 1 loss to Miami.

However, with Mertz out due to a concussion, freshman DJ Lagway was the Gators’ QB1 in their Week 2 victory over Samford. Although Lagway lacks experience compared to Mertz, his talent is undeniable and many Florida fans want him to start against the Aggies.

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During an appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on Friday, former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier weighed in on the peculiar dilemma and raved about Lagway’s ability.

“He’s the quarterback of the 2020s,” Spurrier said. “He can run, he can escape guys and he’s an excellent passer. He’s really a better passer than a lot of these scrambling quarterbacks, as we saw last week in highlight tapes. He was hitting guys on the dead run, deep balls all over the place and the receivers finally got a lot of opportunities.

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“Obviously, 460-something yards I think he threw for. I think it was the fourth-best in school history. So he’s got to get in there. But if Mertz is doing well, they both might play about the same amount. Just have to wait and see.”

In Florida’s 45-7 win over Samford, Lagway completed 18-of-his-25 pass attempts for 456 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception. His 456 passing yards were the most ever by a Florida freshman, surpassing Chris Leak’s mark of 268 set in 2003 against Kentucky.

Lagway’s historic showing wasn’t entirely a surprise. He was the No. 1 quarterback and No. 3 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to On3 Industry Rankings.

While DJ Lagway’s potential is impossible to ignore, Spurrier believes Mertz should receive a chance on Saturday against Texas A&M before Florida turns to the first-year standout.

“He’s the older guy,” Spurrier said of Mertz. “He’s the senior guy – he’s been here two, three years, something like that. So he’s been around the guys a little bit longer. They’re a little bit, maybe, more comfortable. But they like DJ, also. No big deal.

“Let [Mertz] go out there first, see how it goes. But in the back of your mind, we know DJ’s got to get in there sometime. Just try to make a good decision on when he gets in there.”

Fans won’t have to wait much longer to see who starts behind center for the Gators this weekend. On Saturday, Florida and Texas A&M will square off at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ABC.