It’s been a busy week of headlines surrounding this Florida Gators football program, to say the least.
From head coach Billy Napier’s comments about criticism and basements in “rural central Florida” to figuring out who the Gators’ starting quarterback will be this Saturday against the Samford Bulldogs, the college football world has their eyes set on the Gators.
Well, after the uncertainties surrounding quarterback Graham Mertz’s availability this week after sustaining a concussion against Miami and entering concussion protocol, we have our answer.
Napier addressed the media on Wednesday night and announced that DJ Lagway will be Florida’s starting quarterback on Saturday.
The Gators’ five-star freshman will be getting more playing time a lot earlier than most people expected.
“As of now, DJ (Lagway) will start the game and then Clay (Millen) and Aidan (Warner) will be the backups,” Napier said.
Napier went on to talk about what he wants to see from Lagway on Saturday.
“I want to see clean football,” Napier said. “Be the point guard; distribute the ball.”
Napier highlighted the importance of Lagway’s playing time last week against Miami, saying, “I think it’s huge he actually got to play a little Week 1.”
In Lagway’s limited playing time against Miami last week, he was 3-for-6 passing for 31 yards and had an interception. Lagway also had four carries for 20 yards.
Gators Week 2 Game
Florida (0-1) will go up against the Samford Bulldogs (0-1) next Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.