Your luck might favor you once or twice, but not every time, right? This might be the hardest pill to swallow for the Florida Gators head coach, Billy Napier. Last time, Napier got lucky to have found a quarterback like DJ Lagway, who cooled down his hot seat. Paul Finebaum also hoped for the 2024 season to repeat, when he said, “The one thing Billy Napier has right now, he has a couple of things.”
Out of them, the ESPN analyst counted on Lagway being the Napier’s lucky charm. However, Greg McElroy stirred some fear for Napier, stating, “The worst-case scenario is that he’s [Lagway] not at 100%. The worst-case scenario is that he’s not available every single week throughout the season.” And looks like McElroy’s prediction might come true for Napier’s fam, especially, after the last scrimmage.
On August 16, Florida insider for Gators Online, Zach Abolverdi, tweeted, “Florida Gators Insider: Intel from UF’s second scrimmage.” Out of the discussion on top players on offense and defense, the standouts and the latest quarterback situation in Napier’s squad, something struck the fans, the quarterback situation. Abolverdi wrote, “Sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway once again did not scrimmage after sitting out last Saturday as well. This time, Lagway also didn’t participate in 7v7 drills, which he did do before the first scrimmage. He’s still limited with his calf injury.”
Florida Gators Insider: Intel from UF’s second scrimmage
• Top players on offense & defense
• Standouts from the scrimmage
• The latest on the QB situation
DETAILS: https://t.co/QcYTAFgoMW pic.twitter.com/51gcHBTJax
— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) August 16, 2025
Now, Florida fans must be already losing their sleep. They might have thought that Napier would get rid of the Lagway confusion after he was extremely limited during the spring practice. And that has been indeed costly since the quarterback lost an opportunity for crucial reps ahead of a make-or-break season for Napier. Thanks to his lingering shoulder and lower-body injuries. However, his family opted for “rest and rehab” instead of surgery, thinking of how it might have jeopardized his 2025 run.
Amidst such a situation, Napier’s quarterback room has been already buzzing without Lagway. He has options like Harrison Bailey and Aidan Warner. A few months back, during the spring practice, Bailey, who transferred from Louisville to Florida in January, had picked up the buzz. He completed 29 of his 43 attempts for 363 yards and three scores. And this time while Lagway’s playing time past the sharp cut of a scissor, who kept Napier’s quarterback room running?
Warner. As the analyst noted, “Redshirt sophomore Aidan Warner had the best day among the quarterbacks and got more snaps in this scrimmage than Louisville grad transfer Harrison Bailey, which wasn’t the case last week.” Being Lagway’s potential threat, he threw a touchdown in the scrimmage and was the first one to go out with the first team in the two-minute offense. Now that Lagway is all wobbly, here comes a stark reality check for Napier.
DJ Lagway’s importance even after Billy Napier’s young guns step up
The Florida head coach must now be experiencing some bitter sweet moments. In an interview with On3, he said, “…we have quite a few of these younger players that we need to continue to grow and develop.” During their last scrimmage, the young players actually made Napier proud. As Abolverdi tweeted, “Four freshmen have emerged for the Gators in training camp. All of them are former top-100 recruits, including two five-stars.” The famous four were WR Vernell Brown III, CB Ben Hanks III, tight end Amir Jackson, and offensive lineman Jason Zandamela. But fans might have been looking for a Lagway update?
Lagway went missing from Florida’s opening training camp. On August 11, the head coach broke the silence coming with a glimmer of hope, “I think he’s doing great. I think he’s on schedule. He’s executing our plan. … He had a great day. Think he had his best day today. He took more reps today than he’s been taking. Obviously, he didn’t participate in the scrimmage [last Saturday], but he’s hitting all his numbers from a throw perspective.” But looks like Lagway went back into the labyrinth on Saturday. And that’s definitely a bad omen.
Billy Napier must be dreaming to employ DJ Lagway as a weapon like Daunte Culpepper, with a powerful arm and great rushing skills. But looks like his luck might turn awry again. And the head coach must already be replaying what Pat Dooley said on his podcast. “My point is, everybody wants to know about him because everybody also understands Florida is tied in to DJ Lagway. That’s the only way they’re going to have a chance to make the playoffs. That would be what I would say. Florida can make the playoffs if DJ Lagway stays healthy. They can’t if he doesn’t. Pretty simple,” said the analyst. Here’s hoping fate grants Lagway the healing touch he needs to carry the Gators to the playoffs.
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