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Chris Doering knows what success as a college football quarterback looks like, and he specifically knows what a potentially successful QB can mean at Florida.
The SEC Network analyst is Gainesville-born and bred, and he went on to star as Florida’s quarterback after walking on to the Steve Spurrier-led Gators in 1991. By the end of his UF run in 1995, Doering was a 2nd-team All-American and a 1st-team All-SEC selection, and now 3 decades later he’s looking at Gators freshman QB DJ Lagway and seeing big-time potential.
“I’m all-in on DJ Lagway,” said Doering on Wednesday morning on SEC This Morning. Doering told host Peter Burns that he firmly believes Lagway is “a star in the making.”
“I’m all-in on DJ Lagway.”
@ChrisDoering told @PeterBurnsESPN that QB @DerekLagway is “a star in the making”!
@GatorsFB | #GoGators | #SECThisMorning pic.twitter.com/Jr5pVUbDj7— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) October 23, 2024
Lagway was handed the keys to the UF offense when original starting quarterback Graham Mertz went down with a season-ending ACL tear against Tennessee on Oct. 12. Now, it’s Lagway’s turn and Doering believes it could be Lagway’s team now as the freshman from Texas settles in as the Gators starter for the rest of the season.
Lagway has already thrown for 1,024 yards even though he hasn’t started the whole season. He’s got 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, but Lagway showed he can be a weapon with his legs, too, rushing for 46 yards in last Saturday night’s blowout of Kentucky.
After a bye week, Lagway will get his shot on the national stage in Week 10 as the Gators face Georgia in the annual rivalry game in Jacksonville. And after that, Lagway will face Texas, LSU and Ole Miss in that order, so we’re going to find out soon if Doering’s proclamation is right on or a little bit premature.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
