Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway will become the fourth Florida true freshman quarterback to start a bowl game when the Gators face Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday. Lagway joins Wayne Peace (W, 1980 Tangerine Bowl), Chris Leak (L, 2004 Outback Bowl), and Treon Harris (W, 2015 Birmingham Bowl).
MORE | REACTION: 2025 Florida Gators Schedule REVEALED | Latest in Transfer Portal
Under Lagway’s leadership as a true freshman quarterback, Florida has posted a 5-1 record. Their only loss came against No. 2 Georgia—a game the Gators were leading until Lagway left with an injury. In games Lagway both starts and finishes, Florida remains undefeated at 5-0. During his six starts, the Gators have dominated opponents, outscoring them 195-105 (32.5 PPG to 17.5 PPG) and averaging 6.7 yards per play while holding opponents to 4.6.
Lagway’s impact on Florida’s turnaround has caught attention, with analysts already speculating about his potential for 2025.
Following Colorado’s Travis Hunter winning the 2024 Heisman Trophy as college football’s best player, ESPN released its “way-too-early” contenders for next year’s award. Lagway earned a spot on this list, having thrown for nine touchdowns against four interceptions in his six starts. He leads all true freshman quarterbacks (minimum 100 attempts) with a 159.6 rating.
Mark Schlabach of ESPN offered these reasons for including Lagway on the list:
“Lagway didn’t become the Gators’ full-time starter until senior Graham Mertz tore an ACL in a 23-17 overtime loss to Tennessee in the sixth game of the season. Lagway gave Florida fans a sneak peek of what was coming when he started against FCS program Samford while Mertz was out with a concussion. Lagway broke a UF freshman record with 456 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 45-7 victory. In 11 games, Lagway threw for 1,610 yards with 11 touchdowns. It was enough to give the struggling program hope and keep coach Billy Napier around for another season.”
Other SEC players that were included on the list and that Florida will face next season were Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, and Georgia running back Nate Frazier. For the full list of contenders read “Way-too-early 2025 Heisman Trophy contenders”
Support Gators Breakdown and get your Florida Gators merch at Fanatics
0 Comments