GAINESVILLE — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway “will be fine” as he looks to rebound from a 5-interception performance at LSU, a representative for the sophomore signal-caller said as the Gators prepare for Saturday’s visit to No. 4 Miami.

Offseason injuries limited Lagway’s ability to practice and develop following his breakout 2024 season as a true freshman and have led to the early-season struggles, Lagway’s NIL representative Deiric Jackson told the Orlando Sentinel.

Jackson said Lagway will rebound from a performance at LSU no one saw coming or could fathom given his talent and potential along with the high expectations entering 2025.

“DJ will be fine,” Jackson said Wednesday. “He will get things together. The Gators will win some ballgames and will upset some people.”

Lagway and the Gators will have to improve quickly to keep pace with the red-hot Hurricanes, 3-0 and averaging 38 points during wins against Notre Dame and USF.

Gators quarterback DJ Lagway passes against Miami at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., Aug. 31, 2024. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

UF (1-2) averaged 13 points during losses to USF and LSU while Lagway managed just one touchdown throw in each game and averaged a modest 6.21 yards per attempt, down from 10.0 last season when he ranked second nationally in the key metric.

Gainesville native Jackson, who also represents former UF quarterback Anthony Richardson, said Lagway has been pushing to improve and make up ground after a shoulder injury prevented him from throwing during spring practices and a calf injury limited him during fall camp.

Lagway took snaps with the first-team offense during 11-on-11 drills for the first time on Aug. 18, nearly three weeks after preseason practices began July 30.

“It’s a process,” Jackson said. “This is the process. There’s no way around the process.”

Despite Lagway’s limitations until the past month, the Gators have leaned heavily on his passing capabilities.

At LSU, he attempted a career-high 49 passes in a game that was close despite the interceptions, which included a third-quarter pick-six for the game’s final points.

Lagway threw his final interception on first-and-10 into triple coverage in the LSU end zone with 2:15 remaining to end Florida’s slim comeback hopes. Otherwise, his interceptions occurred on third-and-10, third-and-seven, third-and-18 and third-and-11. He also was sacked on third-and-10 to end Florida’s opening series on the second half.

UF quarterback DJ Lagway is on his knees after a sack during the No. 13 Gators’ stunning 18-6 loss USF Sept. 6 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

Playing behind the chains all night put added pressure on a quarterback clearly not processing the game as quickly as needed.

After the game, UF coach Billy Napier said Lagway needs to improve going through his progression of receiving options to avoid ill-advised throws.

Some questioned the wisdom of Napier having Lagway shoulder the offensive load while too often neglecting sophomore tailback Jadan Baugh. The Gators’ most unique offensive weapon, Baugh finished with just 10 rushing attempts for 46 yards to go with a career-high 7 receptions for 59 yards.

A former cornerback at Troy University, Jackson said Lagway is a young quarterback who will work through his travails and ultimately thrive.

Lagway entered the season considered a possible Heisman candidate and one of the sport’s rising stars. He now heads to Miami facing outside doubts and skeptics, not to mention one of the nation’s top defensive fronts.

“Maybe the expectations were too high,” Jackson said. “But he didn’t have any football all offseason. The lack of spring and fall has affected every critical aspect.

“But he’ll get in a rhythm and trust what he sees.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/09/17/florida-gators-football-dj-lagway-billy-napier/