
How much should DJ Lagway play in Florida’s season opener?
By David Wasson
Published:
The 2001 dark comedy movie Bubble Boy depicted a young Jimmy Livingston, who was born without an immune system and lives in a sterilized dome in his bedroom.
Almost 25 years later, the Florida Gators have the chance to keep their most prized possession in an injury-proof bubble for 1 more week, but are choosing not to Saturday night when the mighty Long Island Sharks invade Gainesville.
Should DJ Lagway, he of the sports hernia and sore shoulder and calf strain and Spurrier-only-knows what else, be strapped up and ready to roll Saturday night? What on earth is Gators coach Billy Napier thinking, exactly?
There are 2 distinct schools of thought regarding Lagway directing the Florida offense on the opening possession of the 2025 season. The one goes something like this: Lagway missed great portions of spring, summer and fall work with his myriad health issues, and needs all the live-action work he can get with his receivers if Florida wants to be able to contend in the SEC.
The other, well, is the other. If Lagway gets hurt/dinged up/breathed on wrong by the Sharks at The Swamp – it well could be Napier who pays for it with his Florida coaching career.
Seeing as how Napier pledged that Lagway will be under center to start against Long Island, it is clear the former argument (if there was one…) won out with Napier. A shooting star as a true freshman in 2024, Lagway went 6-1 (and 6-0 in games he started and finished) as Florida’s starter after Graham Mertz went down with injury, throwing for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns.
But that freshman All-American performance came at a price. Lagway was first dinged up with a hamstring injury during the annual Cocktail Party against Georgia, causing him to sit against Texas. Lagway then had sports hernia surgery after the 2024 season, missed all of spring practice with shoulder soreness, then walked around the first few weeks of fall camp in a boot nursing a sprained calf muscle.
That is a lot of injuries – nagging or not – in a short amount of time. So precisely no one would blame Napier if he was extra cautious in choosing the NFL star quarterback route for Lagway against Long Island and sitting him for what is basically the equivalent of an NFL preseason game.
Then again, Lagway’s absence running the Florida offense during the spring, summer and fall is precisely the argument that he should tape up and suit up against the Sharks. Who cares if there are probably a half-dozen frat kids on campus in Gainesville right now that could direct Florida’s offense to a 4-TD win Saturday… Lagway simply needs to play to knock some of the rust off.
That logic then begs this question: How much should Lagway play Saturday?
Should we expect a couple series behind the wheel NFL preseason-style before ceding way to Harrison Bailey, Aidan Warner and Tramell Jones Jr.? Or could Lagway conceivably play into the second half and perhaps even be serenaded with Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down” while his helmet is still on?
One would imagine that the game’s flow will dictate that as much as any preconceived plan might. Though Napier’s commentary this week about Lagway navigating through his injury issues would seem to indicate that growth has happened despite his not being able to strap up and play ball at 100%.
“A lot of times things happen to you that you can’t control, so there’s opportunities to get better as a result of what he’s going through,” Napier said Monday when announcing that Lagway will go. “He’s learned a lot about himself. This won’t be the first time he’s gone through something like this. You play the game, you’re going to get injured, so how you manage that not only physically but mentally … for him that’s been a bit of a challenge, but I think it’s been healthy for him.”
Make no mistake, these are dangerous waters that Napier, Lagway and the Gators are treading into Saturday afternoon. No, we don’t mean Long Island, necessarily… as there is a reason the Sharks are receiving a $525,000 check for their troubles.
But if Lagway were to re-aggravate any portion of his oft-expanding list of ailments — particularly the throwing shoulder or, heaven forbid, escalate the calf injury to a tendon that starts with an A and ends with “chilles” — you better believe the pitchforks will be out for Napier in force. It’s a tough tightrope for Napier to walk, but we only have to wait until Saturday night to see how he manages his star QB.
Spurrier-speed, “Bubble Boy” DJ Lagway. Please don’t get injured during Florida’s preseason cupcake tasting and before the full smorgasbord of the SEC even begins.
College football is better with guys like Lagway on the field, after all.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.