The offseason is upon us. Last year everyone was looking at DJ Lagway as the guy to bring the Florida Gators back to glory. They finished 8-5, and you have to give Lagway some credit for that. But then came that hamstring injury against Georgia back in November. While he was on the mend from that, another injury hit—turns out Lagway might be battling more. While the official word was a hamstring pull, the coach kind of threw a curveball by mentioning something with his shoulder, and has been unable to throw.

Lagway is going to be on a pitch count during spring football practice while he recovers from those lingering injuries. Gators head coach Billy Napier’s take on it? “Our intentions here are to be very smart.” Looks like HC Billy Napier’s already bracing for how spring practice is going to go. And naturally, the fans were hoping for some good news about their quarterback. But yeah, that’s gonna be tough to find right now.

During the March 27 episode of the Josh Pate’s College Football Show, the analyst confirmed the spring destiny for the Gators QB. He said, “DJ Lagway status is still the same as it’s been. He’s not throwing, he may not throw in spring. I’m going to give you my take on this. I think it’s going to be okay, maybe more precautionary.” That’s the Gators’ approach.

After starting as the backup signal caller to Graham Mertz, he got his chance when Mertz concussed himself in the season opener. In 12 games (7 starters), DJ Lagway had a 6-1 record, finishing his true freshman season with 115 of 192 passes (59.9% completion rate) in 1,915 passing yards with 12 TDs and 9 interceptions.

Pate also confirmed that the QB might get better in the long run. He added, “I think if nothing changes, he’ll be good because I think actually things will change in that you get another several months of recoup, of revamping—you know, fancy words for rehabilitation.” The Gators are staring down a brutal stretch next season, no doubt about it. Fresh off the buzz around DJ Lagway, they’ve got a gauntlet of LSU, Miami, Texas, and Texas A&M lined up, back-to-back.

Billy Napier is already preparing for his receivers to depart. Both WRs, Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike, performed well in the lone season with the Gators. In 2024, while Badger had 39 receptions for 806 receiving yards and 4 TDs, Dike also recorded 42 receptions for 783 receiving yards and 2 TDs.

Pate was also excited and said, “That wide receiver group at Florida is pound-for-pound one of the position units that we keep getting the best intel on out of anywhere in the country. They are overly excited down there about that wide receiver group.” There are bigger questions. Can the QB DJ Lagway and HC Billy Napier keep up the winning spirits?

Billy Napier predicted to face disaster

Though the entire league is concerned about the quarterback, Paul Finebaum has a different concern. He is firing warning shots at the Gators. On last Tuesday’s Andy & Ari Show on On3, the host Andy Staples asked about how the Gators’ schedule looks halfway through the year—they’ll have already tangled with that brutal four-team lineup. And you know what Finebaum chimed in with? “By the way, not even a big statement to say: he should lose all four.”

“I really don’t think that’s a big statement to make,” he doubled down. It’s a level of doomsday no one expected. The Gators HC needs to be ready while his QB, DJ Lagway, recovers from the injury. Finebaum has been overly negative about their fate. The analyst had no emotions on his face, showing he had analyzed the games thoroughly in his mind.

Making sure his message got across clearly, he even added about the season opener against LIU on August 30, “It’s one of the worst games I’ve ever seen […] Who really wants to see it? It’s completely unwatchable.” They have 5 months to prepare for the season.

The indications are clear. This season’s gonna be a grinder for the Gators, no easy stroll in the park. And adding to the pressure, three of those first four showdowns are away from the Swamp, with the fourth against a team pegged as a CFP contender already last year. You know that hefty $27.1 million buyout that was being whispered about last season? Yeah, that’s still lurking. So, with this brutal schedule and the buyout chatter hanging in the air, how many of those early games do you think Napier needs to win to keep the heat off his seat?