It’s not every day that a Georgia legend has something nice to say about Florida football. But David Pollack, college football’s raw and honest voice, just gave Gator Nation a reason to sit up, put down their pessimism, and maybe believe again. And he did it with a single clip and a single sentence, both dripping with optimism and a healthy dose of SEC dose. “Florida fans, that sound you hear is Hope knocking on your door again,” he wrote. And that “sound” echoed across social media with DJ Lagway.
In an X post on August 2, David Pollack shared Florida insider Zach Goodall’s brief clip on DJ Lagway’s seamless throw during the Gators’ fourth fall camp practice. His caption is even more telling. “Throws like this are the reason @GatorsFB went 6-0 in games DJ Lagway started & finished last season,” he wrote. But before Gator fans start booking tickets for Atlanta, there’s a catch. And the QB’s health has once again taken center stage.
Throws like this are the reason @GatorsFB went 6-0 in games DJ Lagway started & finished last season.
Florida fans, that sound you hear is Hope knocking on your door againpic.twitter.com/ZbRx1n6w5s
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) August 2, 2025
Just weeks after bouncing back from a nagging shoulder injury that cost him critical spring reps, DJ Lagway turned heads for the wrong reason. A walking boot with the diagnosis of a calf strain. It may be minor but in Gainesville, the timing couldn’t be worse. Every missed rep is a missed heartbeat for Florida’s offense. As David Pollack said on his podcast See Ball Get Ball, “Timing with the quarterback and receivers — there’s nothing bigger than that.” And he’s not wrong.
The Gators’ receiver room isn’t exactly overflowing with chemistry. Trey Wilson is fresh off injury. Dallas Wilson is a true freshman. J. Michael Sturdivant is a UCLA transfer who’s yet to catch a pass from the new QB in live-game speed. Add in the nagging shoulder and lower body injuries, and it’s enough to cloud hope with anxiety.
Still, the Gators insist there’s no panic. Billy Napier said DJ Lagway is day-to-day. “He’s made a lot of quick progress,” he said at his first fall camp presser. For now, his star playmaker has ditched the boot and is easing back into position drills, with eyes on participating in Florida’s first scrimmage on August 9. According to Gators Online insider Zach Abolverdi said on The Paul Finebaum Show, “It’s not something that is expected to be a long-term thing or keep him out of camp, but he did have him hobbling around and limping.” Meanwhile, the national voices aren’t so calm.
DJ Lagway continues to create injury doubts
Josh Pate didn’t sugarcoat it on TexAgs when he said, “The concept of being injury prone, just as a concept… And if that’s a tag that stays with him, especially given the style that he plays with, then it’s going to be a problem.” And that’s the real rub. If this were Garrett Nussmeier or LaNorris Sellers missing camp time, no one bats an eye, as Connor O’Gara said on Saturday Down South. “But I’m worried because DJ Lagway needed fall reps probably as much as anyone in the conference,” he said. “Maybe as much as anyone in college football. He did not get physical throwing reps in the spring because of the shoulder.”
DJ Lagway is the guy. The five-star who was supposed to turn Gainesville from punchline to power. The one who is expected to save Billy Napier from a possible dismissal. Instead, he’s become a question mark wrapped in a walking boot wrapped in hope. Last year’s Georgia game proved it. He looked sharp until he was carted off with a hamstring pull. Georgia rolled 34-20. A week later, with him sidelined, Florida got trucked by Texas 49-17. The shoulder injury lingered all spring. Now a calf strain in fall. So what now?
The Gators are banking everything on a quarterback who’s elite when upright and unreliable when he’s not. The world sees greatness in that arm, and Florida’s 6-0 stat line backs it up. Kentucky Sports Radio wrote, “On his best day, DJ Lagway is probably the most gifted quarterback in the SEC. The problem is his durability.” And hope, as we all know, is a fickle thing in the SEC. And when Georgia comes knocking this fall, we’ll find out if David Pollack was right.
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