The narrative around Billy Napier’s Florida tenure has always hinged on development: of quarterbacks, of culture, of a program rebuilding from years of churn. But as the 2025 season nears, all those threads tighten around a single point of failure — the right shoulder of DJ Lagway.
Spring practice, typically a time for schematic refinement and depth chart movement, turned instead into a weeks-long waiting game in Gainesville. Lagway, the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2024 class and the presumed franchise quarterback, didn’t take a single rep. Behind the scenes, what was initially described as routine load management was later revealed to involve two injuries, one to the shoulder, the other a lower-core muscle strain, that left Florida’s staff weighing the nuclear option: surgery. Multiple sources close to the program indicated that had Lagway gone under the knife, he might have missed most or all of the 2025 campaign. Instead, a consensus was reached among the medical team, Lagway’s family, and Napier’s staff: delay surgery, shut down throwing for six months, and see if the shoulder responds to rest.
That context makes a segment from That SEC Football Podcast land with more weight than usual. “My biggest question is, did Florida’s defense improve enough to make the College Football Playoff?” host SEC Mike was asked. He zeroing in on the issue that’s come to define Florida’s offseason. “DJ is clearly, I think, not only Gainesville’s largest question, but I think the SEC’s largest question now. If you’re like Cousin Shane and you despise the Florida Gators for whatever reason, you believe they can go 6–6.” It was blunt, but the implications were clear: this isn’t just about scheme or depth anymore. It’s about health. Lagway’s health. And in an SEC East where Georgia, Tennessee, and now even Missouri look structurally sound, Florida’s risk-reward calculus feels especially volatile.
The upside is real. After Mertz’s season-ending collarbone injury in late October, Lagway was thrown into the fire, and he thrived. He led Florida to six straight wins, including upset victories over Ole Miss, LSU, and a shocker against then-undefeated FSU. In those games, he flashed everything Florida’s coaches had hoped for: live arm talent, functional mobility, and poise that belied his age. But those glimpses came in limited snaps, and Florida’s defense didn’t always hold up its end. The Gators gave up 377 yards per game last year, a nearly even split between the ground (149.5) and air (227.5), and ranked in the bottom third of the SEC in sacks, turnovers, and red zone stops.
This spring, the defensive overhaul was immediate. Florida lost 19 players to the transfer portal and brought in 11 new faces, including edge rushers from Arizona and Michigan State, and multiple secondary pieces from the Sun Belt. Napier and DC Austin Armstrong are betting on raw athleticism over continuity. The gamble? The influx of twitchy, aggressive defenders will outplay last year’s more experienced but underperforming core. If it doesn’t work, Lagway will be forced to win shootouts again. Only this time with more tape for opponents to study and less margin for error.
Lagway’s health might be showing signs of improvement
Lagway was first kept out of spring practice entirely, and fans sat there biting their nails while rumors ran rampant regarding not one but two injuries: a recurring shoulder problem and a lower-body/core injury. The shoulder’s the true story here, insiders report that it’s a long-standing high school injury that resurfaced, and that surgery was on the table for a while. Had he done so, Lagway would’ve missed significant, if not all, of the 2025 season, and that would’ve been a doomsday for Florida’s postseason aspirations.
After discussing with his family, Florida staff, and an entire team of physicians, they chose to take the rest-and-rehabilitation path, hoping a six-month hiatus from throwing would allow the shoulder to heal sufficiently for him to play this fall, delaying surgery until after the season if necessary. Coach Napier was all confident, but Lagway was still not even close to a football. Then, blessedly, some good news: Lagway had posted a video of himself throwing again, and Napier verified he’d be back to full business by summer workouts. The injury in the lower body appears to be under management, and the shoulder is working well coming out of the off-season break, so the game plan is for Lagway to be fully 100% ready for the start of OTAs and fall camp.
This entire Gainesville offseason has essentially been one giant ‘will he or won’t he?’ regarding DJ Lagway’s health, and to be honest, it’s established the tone for the rest. The Gators have a roster full of newcomers, a defense that still has a lot to prove, and a tough SEC schedule ahead of them. But if Lagway stays healthy and playing the star we glimpsed briefly last season, Florida might surprise a lot of folks. “If the defense continues to trend in the right direction. If DJ Lagway is a 100% and doesn’t require the surgery and all that, I think this team could make 10 games and win the college football playoffs,” SEC Mike sounded confident.
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