Florida football expected quarterback DJ Lagway to take a step forward entering his sophomore season following a promising freshman year.
But through two games, Lagway finds himself ranked 73rd among FBS quarterbacks with a quarterback rating of 52.1, passing for 342 yards with 4 TD passes to 1 interception during that span.
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The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Lagway will get another chance to get his season on track when the Florida Gators (1-1) play at No. 4 LSU (2-0) on Sept. 13 in a critical SEC opener.
“I put the offensive responsibilities on myself,” Lagway said following UF’s 18-16 upset loss to USF on Sept. 6. “Got to make the plays when I need to make the plays and when my guys are counting on me. So, I put all that on me.”
Lagway, the 2023 Gatorade High School Player of the Year and consensus top quarterback recruit in the 2024 class, went 6-1 as a starter as a true freshman last season, passing for 1,915 yards with 12 TDs to nine interceptions. But it’s been a frustrating offseason for Lagway, who was unable to throw in the spring due to shoulder and core issues and was limited the first three weeks of fall drills due to a calf strain.
Lagway insists he’s fine physically.
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“I feel great where my body’s at right now,” Lagway said. “I’m still working on some things mechanically. Like I said, I’m just excited for the grind. I’d rather … good teams don’t peak in September, they peak in December. I’m ready to continue to work hard and continue to take strides for greatness.”
Florida football QB DJ Lagway still seeking chemistry with WRs
Against USF, Lagway went 23 of 33 for 222 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception. Lagway had a handful of overthrows during the game, most notably when he led receiver Eugene Wilson III a step too far on a third-and-8 pass play with 2:43 remaining that could have clinched the game in regulation.
“He’s still getting in a rhythm,” Florida football coach Billy Napier said, “This was his third week of practice, you can see that, getting comfortable with some of these skill players.”
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Napier remains confident that Lagway will make progress as the season unfolds.
“The number one motivator for him is being able to execute, perform and do his job for his teammates,” Napier said. “That’s the thing I respect about the guy is when he doesn’t get the results that he wants on a play, his immediate feeling there is about letting the guys down.
“So, highly motivated to continue to improve. But he definitely did a lot of things better, but there’s more — there is ceiling left there for him to improve. And look, we have to play better around him at times, too. Little more precision across the board in the throw game, and then, you know, I think as a staff we can help him as well.”
How teams are playing Florida football QB DJ Lagway differently this season
Opposing defenses are showing Lagway more two high safety looks to protect against surrendering the deep ball against the strong-armed quarterback from Willis, Texas.
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Lagway had 12 completions of 40 yards or more last season, averaging 16.7 yards per completion. So far this season, Lagway has just one completion of 40 yards are more and is averaging nine yards per completion.
When Lagway tried to force a throw downfield to receiver J. Michael Sturdivant into coverage, it resulted in his lone interception of the game.
“Teams, they come out with different things,” Lagway said. “But that’s kind of the gist right now. We’re going to figure it out, and we’ll continue to work with (quarterbacks) coach (Ryan) O’Hara, work with Coach Napier and watch film and find ways to dissect it.”
Florida senior center Jake Slaughter said Lagway is still carrying himself with the confidence of a quarterback that belongs in the SEC.
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“DJ is one of those guys you can’t shake,” Slaughter said. “You know, his body language is always good. He’s a leader of the men. He prepares the right way. Everybody respects it, just because that’s the type of competitor and the type of man that he is.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com‘
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football QB working through early-season struggles
