There’s no other way to say it. Florida’s hopes for 2025 ride or die with DJ Lagway. Remember when Billy Napier‘s seat was sizzling hot last fall? It was then that his freshman QB entered the picture to silence the noise with a 4-game win streak to end the season. There’s good reason for him to bathe in the hype entering his second season. But as preseason QB rankings rolled out, the Gators’ golden boy found himself pushed back in the SEC. Not that he lacks talent. 

On3 posted an article on Kentucky Sports Radio’s preseason SEC QB rankings, and it didn’t do much favor to DJ Lagway. He was placed at No. 6, and this is what was written about him — “On his best day, DJ Lagway is probably the most gifted quarterback in the SEC. The problem is his durability. He got injured multiple times last year, then missed the spring with an injury in his throwing arm. It smells like a sophomore slump is right around the corner.” The Florida QB is ranked behind Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Arch Manning (Texas), Taylen Green (Arkansas), John Mateer (Oklahoma), and LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina). 

Garrett Nussmeier, though, was under pressure, where he had to shoulder every bit of the LSU offense last fall, he didn’t crumble. Instead, he stood tall and delivered. However, he did have a league-high 12 picks. Then, obviously, how can we forget Taylor Green, who moved from Boise State to Arkansas? He threw for 3,154 yards and scored 23 total touchdowns. If anything, the upcoming season brings high expectations from the fans.

And just as every team was out shopping in the transfer portal, Oklahoma got the best for themselves in John Mateer from Washington State. Last fall, he had thrown for more than 3,000 yards and nearly rushed for a thousand more. If this is anything to go by, then the team on the SEC block should be charting out a plan on how to stop this dynamo.

Coming back, that’s five names ahead of Lagway, and every one of them is riding in with healthier arms, fuller springs, and less mystery. Still, the SEC doesn’t hand out mulligans. To add to Florida’s woes, the Gators have the toughest strength of schedule in the country this fall with games against LSU, Miami, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ole Miss. Even Urban Meyer is cautiously optimistic, predicting 8 wins, while Vegas holds Florida at 6.5.

Still, in no way is DJ Lagway a slouch. In 13 appearances last season, he tallied 1,915 yards and 12 TDs, nine picks, and a 6-1 record as a starter straight out of high school. But for him, the magic of 2024 came at a price. Against Georgia, he got knocked out early with a hamstring injury, and the Gators’ offense flatlined. He missed the spring ball recovering from not one, but two lingering injuries, his throwing shoulder and lower body. Florida kept it vague. His family kept it silent. That silence has now become the loudest storyline of the summer. 

The latest glimpse into DJ Lagway’s health came from Swamp247’s Graham Hall on the Cover 3 Podcast, where Bud Elliott confirmed the Lagway family’s silence on the 19-year-old’s health. “They didn’t say,” he said. “And I think that comes down to his family’s wishes wanting to protect this quarterback. And obviously that at the next level, they’re going to put you under a microscope and read everything there is about you, and any durability concerns could cause you to drop in the draft.” The shoulder pain dates back to high school, but it flared up again this March. By February, Florida quietly shut him down. No surgery yet. 

He further added, “Even everything Billy Napier said was vague, where people got a little bit conspiratorial in a sense, and they were wondering what this actually was.” Analysts believe it’s a hernia-type issue combined with lingering shoulder inflammation. Florida says DJ Lagway’s ramped up reps to 210 throws a week, but no one’s seen much tape. If he is healthy, he’s a game-changer. DJ Lagway completed 12 passes of 40-plus yards, the most among SEC freshmen, and had a 63.8% completion rate on passes 20+ yards downfield, which ranked at the top level in the SEC. Without spring reps to tighten short-game timing, can he maintain his performance by September?

DJ Lagway has the keys to the Gators’ season. But right now, no one’s sure if the engine is running at full speed or if it’s one bad hit away from stalling out.