After 5 interceptions in opposition to No. 3 LSU, uncharacteristic lateness on throws and easy misfires in opposition to South Florida which have contributed to a 1-2 begin — resulting in renewed skepticism about Billy Napier’s long-term future as Florida coach — many are asking: What’s unsuitable with DJ Lagway?
Even Florida’s famed former Heisman Trophy-winning QB and nationwide championship-winning coach Steve Spurrier has seen that Lagway seems “off.”
“I’ve by no means had a efficiency like that in my life, so it is form of arduous to course of it,” Lagway mentioned after the 20-10 loss to LSU. “However, on the finish of the day, it is all about, how do you bounce again and the way do you reply? And I am planning on doing so.”
Progress shouldn’t be linear, but it surely was assumed after a promising finish to the 2024 season that Lagway would take a leap in 2025. However that hasn’t been the case because of a number of, overlapping accidents and the knock-on impact restoration has had on his growth. In some methods, it looks like Lagway has regressed.
Lagway spent many of the offseason rehabbing a shoulder subject that stems from a highschool baseball damage, which was rehabbed on the time. The shoulder ache returned on the finish of final season nonetheless. The sophomore sought two medical opinions in January from Dr. Neal ElAttrache — who has labored with Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Shohei Ohtani amongst others — and Dr. Keith Meister (head doctor for the Texas Rangers), based on his agent Deiric Jackson. In session with docs at UF, a rehab program was developed.
“It was as irregular as irregular can get,” Jackson mentioned of Lagway’s offseason.
All through the course of the 2024 marketing campaign, Lagway additionally developed and performed by means of a core muscle damage, which He addressed with surgical procedure in early 2025. A hamstring and groin damage additionally impacted Lagway in 2024. There’s a thought by some in his camp that the compounding accidents led to compensation in his throwing movement to make it extra arm-focused, which might have aggravated the shoulder.
Successfully, from January by means of April, Lagway was unable to throw a soccer. He participated in spring observe however didn’t throw; he solely handed off to operating backs in Florida’s spring sport. He’s now basically attempting to play himself into form as he tries to make up for vital time and reps loss.
“I do not wish to make that excuse about him lacking a lot time, as a result of all of us tried to a minimum of really feel prefer it wasn’t going to be an excessive amount of of a drop off,” Lagway’s private quarterback coach JP Tillman mentioned.
Tillman has seen Lagway develop 12 months over 12 months due to a regimented offseason routine. However that was severely disrupted by the rehab course of, stopping Lagway from repping just a few of the tweaks he made trying towards 2025 when it comes to sequencing.
“Having the ability to step a little bit additional into his throws together with his lead foot, and that helps together with his weight administration and management,” Tillman mentioned. “After which the opposite factor was ensuring that he did not get too low when he pulled the ball again. So when he bought into his first stage of his wind up the place we’d form of stretch and pull the ball again, ensuring that he did not get the ball too far under his elbow.”
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The latter tweak originated by way of a plan from CORTEX Sports activities Efficiency — a sports activities science-based coaching facility — to guard his shoulder over the long run and strengthen his smaller muscle mass. Lagway’s accidents had piled up over time. His camp wished to get his physique proper.
“He is bought huge muscle mass,” Tilman mentioned. “One of the best factor they did is simply work on the small muscle mass, issues that stabilize. … That is the place many of the focus was this offseason.”
However Lagway was unable to really rep the adjustments due to the truncated offseason.
Napier mentioned on the finish of Might that Lagway was throwing 210 passes every week, plus heat ups, and put him “on schedule.” However a calf pressure he suffered on the finish of July once more altered the timeline. It’s not unusual for a quarterback in an offseason coaching session or coaching camp observe to throw 100+ balls per day throughout totally different drills and play installs, Lagway merely was not getting that quantity of reps, and Tillman describes Lagway as a participant who learns finest from repetition and feeling the adjustments from throw to throw.
“It wasn’t like, OK, you are prepared, go and throw 100 balls in observe in the present day,” Jackson mentioned. “No, it was, like, 20, 25, 30, and this wasn’t on daily basis. That is like each different day. We did not begin throwing again to again [days] till nicely into August.”
Florida additionally handled a number of accidents to its extensive receiver corps by means of coaching camp. Eugene Wilson III — who missed half of final season with a hip damage — missed a part of fall camp, together with crew scrimmages, with a distinct decrease physique damage. Aidan Mizell missed a while throughout camp with a comfortable tissue leg damage, and freshman Dallas Wilson, whom Florida anticipated to depend on as a major receiving menace, has nonetheless not seen the sector because of a camp damage.
Mix Lagway’s unavailability for a lot of the spring and summer season with Florida’s rash of accidents in fall camp, and Lagway by no means bought the crucial offseason reps together with his receivers. The timing between the 2 events is struggling due to it.
“It is like Steph Curry going the entire offseason with out capturing 3s, then his first sport again, you need him to shoot 50%,” Jackson mentioned. “You need to have the reps.”
The poor play early within the season has triggered some Florida followers to query if Lagway is certainly the reply behind heart. Napier, nonetheless, affirmed after the LSU sport that, “DJ’s our quarterback.”
Shifting ahead, these in Lagway’s camp count on him to enhance because the season goes alongside.
He isn’t injured, however he is working his method again into rhythm, which is a tricky proposition given Florida’s subsequent three video games are in opposition to ranked opponents. A few of the interceptions have been throws Lagway is aware of he can often make. His physique continues to be simply catching as much as what his thoughts is aware of he can do.
“It is one thing he is going to determine,” Tillman mentioned. “He is simply attempting to determine it out as all of us watch. He did not have a lot time to acclimate himself after we thought he’d have the ability to. So, we’re watching him (regulate) in actual time.”
