The Florida Gators will turn to freshman quarterback DJ Lagway when they look to improve their record to 1-1 Saturday against the Samford Bulldogs.
Head coach Billy Napier announced the news during his news conference on Wednesday. He noted that Week 1 starter Graham Mertz still suffers the effects of a concussion he sustained during the third quarter of Florida’s loss to the Miami Hurricanes.
“Graham did not practice today,. He is farther into the protocol and he’s doing better, but he’s hasn’t quite passed the final test. He’s doing better, but he’s not quite there. So, as of now, DJ will start the game and then Clay [Millen] and Aidan [Warner] will be the backups,” Napier noted.
After Mertz’s concussion, Lagway finished the game for Florida and went 3-for-6 for 31 passing yards and an interception. He also added 20 rushing yards.
Lagway was the 2023 Gatorade Football Player of the Year and is expected to help turn Florida around in the coming years.
Napier added that the news excited him, Lagway, and the team.
“DJ’s got a great attitude, obviously. He’s excited, got a chance to play Saturday for the first time in his career. Just to get feedback about that and now understand what it’s like out there as a competitor. So far, so good. I thought he did a lot of good things [Tuesday)\] and it’s great to see the other players kind of rally around him. But, yeah, it’s definitely a positive for him to be able to take advantage of those reps with the first team.”
