DJ Lagway has been a leading name on the cusp of the 2025 QB depth. The former five-star recruit has put the rival on notice every time he steps on the field. No matter if it’s his deep throws, the accurate timing or the subtle intelligence that shined through the on-field actions, he’s there for the prize. Despite suiting up for only six full games in his true freshman season, Lagway turned out to be an analytical darling.

However, one slip under the belt derailed his growth. That grave hamstring injury in the mid-season made things tougher for the Florida QB. But he took the plunge anyway, and, as per the latest analysts’ take, 2025 looks like a holy grail.

DJ Lagway’s 2025 prospect brings new hope to Florida 

Florida football beating heart DJ Lagway is currently Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated deep passer and the highest-rated true freshman quarterback. All thanks to his lofty numbers (he threw for 1,915 yards and amassed 115 of 192 pass attempts 59.9% with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions) in an overwhelming season for the Gators. Although Napier and his team collectively failed to catch the fire, Lagway remains the lone bright spot. But he suffered a left hamstring injury during a game against No. 2 Georgia in week 10. He had to leave the field banged. This suddenly raised concern over his future and left Billy Napier on the edge of his seat. However, he recovered earlier than expected, but a veteran analyst believes the best is yet to come. It’s only the trailer that we spur on.

”DJ Lagway going into 2025, I mean, it starts with, I think he is clearly the most talented quarterback in college football right now, and that’s just like encompassing the whole skill sets, and we didn’t even really get to see him at the height of his powers, Because by the end of the year, he was dealing with the hamstring and the athletic portion of his game was a kind of taken out,” said the ROC football boys host. But as the injury turned out less serious than it was initially feared, Lagway managed to pull some big scores regardless for a team that barely considered him to have for the season. The grit and resilience were worth taking a bow and there is no debate on that.

”It didn’t really affect his ability to carry those teams to big wins like against Old Miss like against LSU, so I think the fact that he has major athletic or athletic upside throwing upside just can be really accurate down the field and hit big plays,’‘ the ROC analyst continued, ”now you’re going into 2025, as a better pocket passer but now having that athleticism that we all know he has coming out of high school.” However, it’s not the field that Lagway is taking over. He is equally productive on the transfer portal, having hold of some big targets for the next year.

But Billy Napier couldn’t risk having him alone in the QB room.

Billy Napier shows half faith in DJ Lagway heading to a new season

Napier has failed to utilize his ace in the holes in an underwhelming season. Despite having good talents by his side, the Florida head coach couldn’t capitalize and plunged into a 4-4 mark at the end of the season. They started strong, but eventually, injury horror got the better of their confidence, and the rest is a forgettable history. Lagway did his part right. After a bit of a hiccup for the injury, he staged a powerful comeback against LSU. But the QB on the watch has a lot to prove going further, he is not a finished product after all. Napier did nothing but play a safe game here.

He added QB Harrison Bailey to the roster after hosting a fruitful visit a few weeks back. Bailey’s career has been spectacular so far. He had good numbers and stats to flaunt. The 6’5 Bailey has suited up for a total of 19 games over his career, completing 63.2% of his passes for 1,190 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions. His presence, unique blend of talent, and IQ appealed to Napier the right way. Although a clumsy record of jumping ship to four schools in five years adds a grain of salt to it, he brings some safety net to Lagway. In case Lagway catches up with another injury horror in the upcoming year, Bailey can pick up the pace. As a veteran, he can be a solid asset to the Gators in times of dire need.

Bailey initially signed up as a backup to Lagway. But every sign is hinting at an early dogfight as well. It remains to be seen if Bailey and Lagway fare against each other or help each other and coexist to chisel out the best as a team.