And here we thought it couldn’t get worse for Billy Napier. As the HC continues to deal with the lawsuit and questions regarding his decision to allow Cormani McClain to play, the roster does not look like it’s in a good spot. As the game against the Hurricanes reaches the 3rd quarter, the Gators are still stuck at 10 and Miami has already made 31 on the scoreboard. If all of this wasn’t bad enough, we are now getting the news that one impact player from the Gators will be leaving the team soon.

Blaise Ingoglia took to X on September 1st to let us all know, “DJ Lagway just entered the transfer portal.” This is bad for Billy Napier and his roster. Lagway is the freshman QB for the team and he was marked as the No.3 player in the entire country. If we look at just his stats, the kid has managed to pull in around 58 TDs and over 4500+ yards under his belt. Not only that, he has a completion rate of around 72%. Gators legend Tim Tebow had noted, “he’s extremely special,” while he was discussing Lagway and his potential in the Gators. As Napier plans his recovery from the disaster opener that was Miami vs Florida, it’s wild to think that a team that has 3 national championship wins and 8 SEC wins would reach this tough spot. Lagway had noted back during an interview with 247Sports that he decided to join the Gators because he believed that “they’re going to build something special.” However, if we judge based on the opener itself, looks like Lagway has realized that this team is pretty much doomed.

While the rest of the schedule is still left, the entire weight will probably fall on QB Graham Mertz’s shoulder. After Mertz transferred over from Wisconsin, he locked in what could be called his career best while playing for the Gators. The kid pulled in around 20 TDs and a solid 2900+ yards under his belt. Even Tebow had noted, “I think that we have one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC,” while talking about Mertz and his future in the Gators. However, he just does not compete with the monster that Lagway is. The moment DJ signed up with Florida, he was marked as the best hiring since Jeff Driskel back in 2011. So Napier has to think this through. While the HC is yet to make any comments regarding the entire situation, what we do know is that Napier has another ace up his sleeve if DJ does leave in the end.

Meet Billy Napier’s No.21 player

The No. 21 jersey is worn by none other than a defensive lineman. Desmond Watson is someone you should keep an eye out for. Being a 3-star player, the kid has stuck with the Gators since 2021 and has never decided to hit the portal. Locking in around 43 tackles back in 2022, his size (6 foot 5) made him tower over the defensive line that Napier had formed. While his presence during the 2023 season was a bit lacking, the kid still has immense potential.

While we are yet to see some solid plays from Watson in the 2024 schedule, one thing is for sure, Napier still has one ace standing if he does end up losing DJ after the season is over. For now, Gators fans can only wait and pray for the best.