DJ Lagway isn’t just an athletic freak.
He isn’t just a good quarterback.
He isn’t just a potential Heisman Trophy candidate.
He is the most important player in college football.
And that’s not just me talking.
Our Orlando neighbors at EA Sports chose Lagway for the cover of College Football 26. And when a video-game company that decides who’s cool in college football picks you, it’s not just marketing; it’s a coronation.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Lagway is the best player in college football; I’m saying he is the most important player. By important, I mean no other player’s presence — or absence — so completely changes the trajectory of his team, his coach and the entire outlook of his program.
For Florida fans who’ve endured 15 years of coaching changes, made-up death threats, lazy recruiters, firings, heartbreaks and squandered seasons since Urban Meyer walked away, Lagway represents something rare. He represents hope. And as Andy Dufresne said in The Shawshank Redemption: “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things.”
The Gators’ playoff chances, their national relevance and even Billy Napier’s job security hinge on whether the oft-injured Lagway can stay upright. But it’s more than health; his very presence is a beacon for a fan base that’s been wandering in the wilderness of irrelevance for far too long.
At 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, he is a rare breed — a true dual-threat athlete with an arm that can deliver a ball into a mailbox from 50 yards and legs that leave defenders chasing ghosts. His combination of speed, agility and field vision makes him one of the most dangerous playmakers in college football.
Even last season, hobbled by a pulled hamstring and not really a serious running threat, he finished second nationally to Ole Miss’ Jaxon Dart with…
Source link : https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/08/09/gators-dj-lagway-billy-napier-sec-mike-bianchi-commentary/
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Publish date : 2025-08-10 09:30:00
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