A week into Florida’s spring practices, one of the biggest questions Gators fans have is how the five-star quarterback Billy Napier signed is doing.
[autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] will be the first homegrown starter Florida head coach Billy Napier produces in Gainesville. Max Brown signed in the 2022 cycle and transferred to Charlotte and Jaden Rashada ended up with Arizona State after backing out of his letter of intent the following year.
Lagway committed to Florida in Dec. 2022 and held that commitment for two years. He’s the future of the program, but it’s still Graham Mertz’s team for now. Napier said as much in his Saturday presser following the team’s first spring scrimmage. He also offered some praise for the first-year quarterback.
“He’s impressed me with his ability to learn, retain information and then he’s quick,” Napier said of Lagway. “He picks it up really quickly, and then his ability to take it from the meeting room to walkthrough and then do it in a practice setting.
“Today was good for him, right? He had to play the situations as they arose throughout the scrimmage. I think the big next step for him is the game-management piece, right?”
You’ve got to know when to fold ’em
Lagway will play this season, but he’ll need to figure a few things out before earning all of Napier’s trust. With all of the hype surrounding him, it can be tough to remember that Lagway is still in the earliest stages of his collegiate career.
The college game is much faster and more brutal than the high school game, and even the best take time to adjust. Physically, Lagway has all the tools an elite quarterback needs to succeed. Making sure that he’s mentally prepared to lead the Gators next year is Napier’s goal this year.
“I actually asked him on the field today and said, hey, did you play poker growing up?” he said. “Did you actually play cards growing up? You play Texas Hold’em and you get a three and a four, you know? You fold your cards and you go to the next hand.
“So, he obviously didn’t play poker growing up, but sometimes you get dealt a bad hand and you got to learn how to play the next hand. So, play the next play, managing the situation, thinking of your decision-making relative to the game and the team within that setting, I think he’s done a really good job in the practice setting.”
The fans will get a first look at Lagway in two weeks during the Orange and Blue Game to close out spring. He should start for one of the teams since he’s been running with the second team.
“Today was new for him, right? So every day is a new learning experience for him, but he is a quick learner. He did a lot of good today, I think. He made some plays with his feet, played with a group, you know, the twos most of the day.
“So, yeah, I think that’s where he’s at. I think he’s got physical talent. He’s picked it up quickly and now it’s just the game management piece is next.”
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