A college quarterback faces plenty of pressure heading into a season. But at just 20 years old, Heisman Trophy expectations and name, image and likeness deals ranging from the Jordan Brand to Chipotle takes the pressure to the next level.
Factor in an offseason filled with setbacks — like recovery following a physical freshman campaign and a late-July calf strain — just to be ready to take the field on Aug. 30.
That’s the situation Florida quarterback DJ Lagway faced heading into his sophomore campaign for the Gators.
“I’m just thankful for what I’ve been through this offseason,” Lagway said following Florida’s 55-0 win against Long Island. “It was definitely hard.”
During the final stretch of the 2024 season, Lagway dealt with a hamstring injury that took him out of UF’s game against Georgia and forced him to miss a matchup against then-No. 5 Texas.
Then, early in the offseason, Lagway failed to throw during spring practices due to a shoulder issue and a subsequent surgery for a sports hernia injury. He didn’t play in the 2025 Orange & Blue Game.
For Lagway, the time on the sidelines was an opportunity to work on the mental side of the game.
“It was good seeing the game from a different perspective, getting mental reps,” Lagway said. “It was huge for me, seeing the game from a coach’s perspective … I feel like in the long run, it's going to pay off for sure.”
The time off the field also allowed Lagway to begin tightening his mechanics, working alongside head coach Billy Napier and quarterback coach Ryan O’Hara.
“It was a lot of things just to help with my general arm health in general, but just little things like shortening up my stroke a little bit,” Lagway said. “I feel like it's an ongoing quest. You can never just perfect a mechanic.”
Lagway returned to practice for training camp before his calf injury kept him out of action until the Aug. 30 matchup against Long Island.
In his debut, Lagway was on point, completing 15 of 18 passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns. His 194.3 passer rating was the third highest of his collegiate career thus far, with his two highest totals coming against Samford and Central Florida.
“That was his first scrimmage, if you think about it,” Napier said. “He didn't participate in the scrimmages, and he’s been practicing for about two weeks.”
Lagway, however, was more self-critical of his performance, saying he “needs to do better” for his team.
Lagway’s teammates were not surprised with his comments, knowing that he always pushes himself and his team towards perfection.
“He's a very, very, very hard competitor,” sophomore running back Jadan Baugh said Sept. 1.
“He pushes us a lot. And him not being on the field during the fall, he pushed us to become better leaders on the field.”
Lagway will have an opportunity to improve when Florida faces South Florida at 4:15 p.m. Sept. 6 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max is the Summer 2025 sports editor. He is a third-year journalism sports & media major and in his fifth semester at The Alligator. He is a big South Florida sports fan and would die for Matthew Tkachuk.
