DJ Lagway had ambitions for how his second year would play out at Florida. Tommy Castellanos had goals as he transferred from Boston College to his dream school, Florida State.
They have had moments of brilliance. Lagway helped guide Florida to an upset win of Texas, a playoff contender, in the Swamp. Castellanos helped lead Florida State to an upset of Alabama, also a playoff contender, at Doak Campbell Stadium. But those have been bright spots in frustrating seasons.
When Florida State (5-6) visits Florida (3-8) on Saturday, the quarterbacks will be seeking to finish the regular season on a high note. The Seminoles would love to be bowl-eligible to extend their season into December, while the Gators can play the role of a spoiler on FSU’s season.
“Steady growing, steadily trying to get better each and every day,” Lagway said. “And that’s my goal, and that’s my teammates’ goal. So I’m going to use this next week to get better and to continue to compete.”
Neither quarterback has been consistent, in part leading to up-and-down performances by their teams. Lagway had 298 passing yards and two touchdowns in a win over Texas on Oct. 4, but he hasn’t been nearly as sharp since. Lagway has as many touchdown passes as interceptions (13) this fall, including three INTs in the loss at Kentucky on Nov. 8. While Lagway has a 63.2 completion percentage, Florida has lost four consecutive games.
Castellanos has completed exactly 50% of his passes in three of the past five games, including losses at Stanford and at NC State. With FSU trailing 18-0 at Clemson on Nov. 8, he was forced to drop back and throw 43 times in a futile effort to rally. Overall, Castellanos has completed just 58% of his passes. But he has also had turnover issues, from a red-zone fumble at Clemson to the two interceptions at NC State on Nov. 21. FSU has lost all four road games going into Saturday’s game at UF (4:30 p.m. on ESPN2).
“We got to play better on the road,” Castellanos said. “The last time we played or put up numbers on the road was Virginia (on Sept. 26). We just struggle on the road.”
The seasons did not go like either quarterback had pictured. But interim Florida coach Billy Gonzales and FSU coach Mike Norvell have remarked at how positive both of their quarterbacks have been. Castellanos would like to guide FSU to a rivalry win and perhaps play in a bowl game. Lagway would like to finish on a positive note before he turns his focus to 2026.
“The only thing we’re focused on is just continue to get better, and continue to fight hard, finish strong and play for the (Florida) patch,” Lagway said.
In an up-and-down season for Lagway and Castellanos, perhaps whichever quarterback makes fewer mistakes will be smiling by Saturday evening.
Florida quarterback DJ Lagway throws a pass during the first half against Tennessee on Nov. 22, 2025, in Gainesville. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
