Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway was not expected to play much last season. He was set up to be the backup QB behind Graham Mertz. However, when Mertz went down with an injury, Lagway was thrust into the starting role. His strong performance in a difficult situation has many analysts thinking he can be a superstar this coming season.
On Saturday, analyst J.D. PicKell posted a clip of himself talking about Lagway on Instagram. In the clip, PicKell speaks about Lagway’s composure in big moments as a reason why he thinks he has what it takes to be a star.
“There’s a lot of things he did last year that just kind of felt action-figureish. The numbers don’t tell the whole story. He made a couple of throws that made you do the eyebrow raise, say, woah, that’s different. To me, not just the action figure stuff, it’s the composure this guy showed in different critical spots for Florida. Remember, when he got the keys to the job, Florida was not rocking and rolling offensively.
“That game against Tennessee, I think, tells us everything we need to know about how this guy is wired. Third and 18, down by seven, 38 seconds and counting. Snaps the ball, steps up in the pocket, feels the rush, throws a laser, ties up the game. That’s not true freshman kind of stuff.”
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Ultimately, the Gators went on to lose the game in overtime. However, the composure Lagway showed in a difficult position against a strong opponent is what PicKell believes shows that he will be a star in the 2025 season.

DJ Lagway Will Need to Show That He Can Stay Healthy Next Season
While DJ Lagway’s play on the field was impressive last season, like Mertz, he struggled with injuries at times last year. Those injuries limited his play towards the end of the season and kept him out for most of spring practice. As a result, he will need to stay healthy if he wants to take the next step into superstardom next season.
Fortunately for the Gators, they should have an easy start to the season. They start their season on Saturday, August 30, against Long Island University. They then play South Florida in Week 2. The team’s first big test will not come until Week 3 when they play the LSU Tigers. However, that will begin a challenging four-week stretch with games against LSU, Miami, Texas and Texas A&M.
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