GAINESVILLE — Florida will stick with quarterback DJ Lagway as the Gators’ starter despite his three-interception night during a 31-point loss at Kentucky that led interim coach Billy Gonzales to bench the struggling sophomore.
Instead of opening a QB competition this week, Gonzales said Lagway will handle first-team snaps at Monday’s practice. After he replaced Lagway during the third quarter of Saturday night’s 38-7 loss, true freshman Tramell Jones Jr. will remain the backup as the reeling Gators (3-6, 2-4 SEC) prepare for Saturday’s visit to No. 6 Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1).
Lagway is sure to be pushed as he struggles with his confidence, mechanics and accuracy. His 12 interceptions lead the SEC.
“There’s competition everywhere, and there should be competition,” Gonzales said. “I say competition is great for everybody.”
It’s unclear whether Jones would be an upgrade.
Lagway finished 11-of-19 for 83 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions, while Jones was 9-of-17 passing for 60 yards.
Florida quarterback DJ Lagway (2) had three interceptions and just 83 passing yards during the Gators’ 38-7 loss Saturday night at Kentucky. (AP Photo/Michael Swensen)
Whoever is at quarterback going forward will not have Tre Wilson as an option. He will undergo “tightrope” ankle surgery Wednesday, ending the redshirt sophomore’s second straight season with injury.
Wilson suffered a high ankle sprain during the Gators’ 24-20 loss Nov. 1 to Georgia. He recorded season-highs of nine catches and 121 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown catch, and finished the game despite the injury.
“Tough son of a gun,” said Gonzales, the team’s receivers coach and a former college receiver. “Came back in the second half and just battled. I’ve not seen a lot of people be able to do what he did, be able to come back and play in that second half with the injury that he had.”
Wilson played just five games in 2024 before undergoing hip surgery. But the 5-foot-10 ¼, 194-pound Tampa native returned having added 10 pounds of muscle and increased his speed.
Those gains did not translate to the field. He entered the Georgia game with 18 catches for just 118 yards and two scores.
Meanwhile, offseason injuries stalled Lagway’s ability to build on a promising true freshman season in 2024, when he finished second nationally with an average of 10 yards per attempt and ranked second in the SEC with a 154.93 passer rating.
Lagway’s current 125.02 rating ranks 15th of 16 SEC signal callers after he finished with an 80.4 mark during the Gators’ third straight loss to Kentucky. Only Lagway’s 74.5 rating during a 26-7 loss at Miami is lower during 16 career starts. During games he has started and finished, Lagway’s 83 passing yards in Lexington also were the fewest other than the 61 he produced at Miami.
Lagway’s struggles at Kentucky reached the point where Gonzales decided to make a change and give Jones his first action since UF’s 55-0 win against Long Island University during the season opener.
“I told DJ … it was my decision to take him out of the game at that point,” Gonzales said. “We were struggling, he had a tough … but it’s not all on him, and I told him that. As a coach, it’s our responsibility if someone’s struggling, help them out or take them out so they’re not put in that position to have to keep fighting through that.”
Florida wide receiver Tre Wilson (3) runs for a first down as USF safety Jarvis Lee Jr. (0) chases him during the Bulls’ 18-16 upset of the Gators Sept. 6 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Gonzales likened his decision to a baseball manager to pull a starting pitcher when “it’s not (his) day.”
Losing his starting job might further crush the confidence of Lagway and further affect his performance.
Coaches will push to improve Lagway’s comfort level and ability to make decisions and execute as the Gators face an Ole Miss team averaging 36.2 points against FBS teams, compared with an SEC-low 16.1 points for Florida.
“I told him, I want you to relax, the weight of the world’s not on you,” Gonzales said. “That’s on us as a staff to make sure that we can alleviate that so you can play fast and have that confidence.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
UF (3-6, 2-4 SEC) at Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1)
When: 7 p.m., Saturday
Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford
TV: ESPN
Favorite: Ole Miss by 16.5 points
