In a turbulent season for the Florida Gators football program, one issue has been front and center: DJ Lagway has been nothing short of disappointing.
After a freshman season where he looked like the next Gator great at quarterback, Lagway’s play in the 2025 season has been significantly below the expectations placed on him before the season.
On Saturday, Lagway looked completely out of his depth. He missed multiple wide open receivers, showcased his regressing mechanics and continued his pattern of avoidable turnovers. He eventually was taken out of the game for true freshman quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. Lagway threw three interceptions in the first half, adding to his FBS leading 12 picks thrown.
The Gators (3-6, 2-4 SEC) lost 38-7 to Kentucky (4-5, 2-5 SEC).
Lagway finished the contest completing 11 of 19 pass attempts for 83 yards and a touchdown, alongside the three turnovers. Meanwhile, Jones was solid, but unspectacular under center for the Gators, hitting nine of 17 passes for 60 yards.
The signs of Lagway’s subpar season harken back to the spring, where he was sidelined following a shoulder issue and a sports hernia surgery. He then strained his calf in July before suffering yet another lower-body injury in UF’s loss to Miami Sept. 20.
The lack of reps over the offseason have been evident across the season, as Lagway has experienced a plethora of missed throws and costly turnovers. Lagway’s faulty footwork was on showcase in the first half against Kentucky.
On the game’s opening drive, Lagway threw a third-down pass directly to Kentucky’s Deveren Rayner, who deflected the pass towards Ty Bryant for the interception.
Then, Lagway looked toward freshman Vernell Brown III deep down the field late in the second quarter, launching the ball off his back foot. His pass sailed five yards beyond Brown into the waiting hands of Quay’sheed Scott.
Moments later, Lagway had a wide-open Jadan Baugh out to his right, but he couldn’t connect with the sophomore. The ball hit off Baugh’s arm into the waiting hands of Rayner, who secured the pick.
Lagway’s interceptions accounted for three of seven combined turnovers in the first half. UF squandered a drive in the early second quarter when KD Daniels fumbled in Kentucky territory. The Wildcats fumbled twice, including once on a punt return that put the Gators in the red zone on their lone scoring drive of the game.
Despite two first-half turnovers, it was a productive day for the Kentucky offense. Boley had one of the best games of his young career, completing 18 of 23 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns.
Kentucky’s running back tandem of Seth McGowan and Dante Dowdell combined for 196 yards and three touchdowns. That included a 65-yard touchdown run by Dowdell in the fourth quarter, UF’s fourth play of 65-plus yards allowed all season.
Kentucky also continued their season-long excellence in terms of possessing the football. Heading into the game, the Wildcats were ranked No. 22 in the country with over 32 minutes of average possession, and neared that total with over 31 minutes of control in Saturday’s victory.
The extended periods of time on the field led to fatigued play by Florida’s usually stout defense. Overall, Kentucky gained 401 total yards and completed 24 first downs throughout its second consecutive victory.
The Gators must win their remaining three games for a guaranteed bowl bid. Florida’s most difficult task comes Nov. 15 when it faces the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels (9-1, 5-1 SEC) at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max is in his sixth semester at The Alligator and now serves as The Alligator's Football Reporter and is a junior sports journalism student. He previously served as The Alligator's Sports Editor, and served as reporter for women's tennis, volleyball and lacrosse. He also has made multiple appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. He wants to shoutout his cats, Scooter and Zoe, and also loves niche professional athletes (shoutout Tomas Fleischmann).
