DJ Lagway will be stepping into 2025 as a proper starting QB. And there’s a lot at stake here. The community is still not confident about his health, which would be a problem for Billy Napier to look out for. Florida also doesn’t have an easy schedule. So with an unreliable QB and a lot more uphill road to cover, the Gators’ HC will not be resting easy anytime soon.

DJ Lagway, a true freshman, got his chance at starting when Graham Mertz went down with an injury. Though the new QB himself suffered an injury later in the season, he bowed out of 2024 after single-handedly turning the Gators around in the season. Of his 7 starts, 6 were wins. Lagway did all of that in his debut year. And that one season, despite registering 9 interceptions, made him one of the most important QBs in CFB currently.

Those expectations followed him into 2025 as well. But that injury, which threatens to be a career-defining one, caused some alarm in his fans. Lagway remained unavailable for most of spring, as Napier kept giving updates about his recovery. More practices passed, and analysts worried that if he doesn’t come out to play soon, it won’t bode well for Florida. Thankfully, Lagways has returned in some format for throwing, as seen yesterday. But, the fanfare around him isn’t what it was like last year.

Chris Marler told That SEC Football Podcast’s Mike Bratton, “If I’m being honest, I think some of the hype he’s getting is a little bit much. Just because he hasn’t had to start yet. Like in a full season. You’re looking at a guy that had 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions.” That one season made a star out of Lagway, who, even with those numbers, produced 1,915 yards. Those numbers for a freshman mean a lot. But now that he’s a sophomore, bigger responsibilities fall on the QB. That prolonged absence has caused people to look away from his skills and to other players.

Napier highlighted that the goal to keep Lagway out of practice was “to be very smart.” The shoulder injury is a recurring one, something he’s faced since high school. He also used to play baseball, which added more wear and tear on the affected area. It seems like Napier took his sweet time allowing Lagway to overcome the injury at his own pace. This is his star player, and a key part of the puzzle in his 2025 campaign. Losing him out to injury again would not be ideal for the HC.

Speaking about losses, the HC is yet to fix the gaping hole in his defensive tackle room, which needs to be plugged quickly.

Billy Napier is tasked with filling a dangerously empty DT room

The defensive tackle room in Florida is alarmingly shallow in depth. This is why Napier has to go after everything that comes his way. Dan Thompson of the Stadium and Gale: A Florida Gators Podcast said that the room is looking “pretty bleak right now.” He proposes two ways to solve this problem.

“I think that Florida is either going to have to go the JUCO route – Don’t even know if that opportunity exists anymore.” Napier did manage to get a JUCO DL from the portal last year, but he’s going to have to do more than that. “I’m just naming names here. Dilan Battle, Justin Kirkland,” the insider continued. Both are new to the portal and have yet to be shown interest in by Napier. “Just looking at this list top to bottom, I just don’t know where Florida might be able to get that next defensive tackle.”

So far, the only promising name is Caleb Banks, who will play his junior year this year. Napier has already lost Darious Cummings and Leon Orr to the portal in the offseason. So, it’s going to be interesting how Napier is looking to build the depth in this room. Also, two defensive players from the program entered the portal in the spring.

DJ Lagway was crucial in Napier’s 2024 campaign. Naturally, he’ll have some bigger expectations in his second year as a starter. However, the time between now, fall camp, and the season opener is not very far apart. That gives him less time to try and soak up the learnings. On the other hand, Billy Napier needs to act quickly to set up his defensive tackles, which need some more packing.