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A great deal of credit for Florida football’s success in 2024 lies on the shoulders of true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who took over the job midseason after the Gators’ incumbent starter, Graham Mertz, went down with a collegiate-career-ending injury.
In Mertz’s absence Lagway posted a 6-1 record as a starter, leading the Orange and Blue through a late-season gauntlet of opponents to Florida’s first winning season in four years and bowl game victory since 2019. His efforts helped save head coach Billy Napier’s job… for the time being, at least.
A lot of the hype heading into next fall surrounds the young gunslinger from Willis, Texas, and for good reason. Not only has he performed well on the field, but off the field he has demonstrated his poise and leadership qualities as well.
So when it came time for CBS Sports writer Tom Fornelli to put together his pre-spring college football quarterback power rankings, the heralded play-caller simply could not be omitted from his top 10. However, Lagway just barely snuck into the list coming right at No. 10.
“I had to include Lagway in the rankings because he’s poised to have an outsized impact on the 2025 season,” Fornelli begins.
“If he approaches the potential that saw him ranked as the No. 1 QB in the 2024 recruiting class, Florida just might be back. If he doesn’t, we’re going to get so many Billy Napier hot-seat articles and Florida coaching candidates lists. Not to mention transfer rumors. There’s a lot riding on Lagway’s shoulder, but they’re quite broad, so I believe he can handle it.”
Lagway will not be able to do it alone and Napier is well aware of this fact. The offense saw the departure of a few pass-catchers this offseason, including Chimere Dike and Elijah Badger, but also brought in former UCLA Bruins wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant while having Eugene…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/floridas-dj-lagway-among-cbs-173023953.html
Author : Gators Wire
Publish date : 2025-03-07 17:30:00
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