Florida football held its first intrasquad scrimmage of fall camp on Aug. 9 with one notable player on the sidelines.
Starting Florida Gators quarterback D.J. Lagway, still nursing a calf injury he suffered a week before the start of camp, did not take part in the scrimmage.
Florida football coach Billy Napier said he’s still been encouraged with Lagway’s progress in fall camp. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Lagway, who went 6-1 as a starter for UF as a true freshman in 2024, has been taking part in passing drills since camp began.
“He’s on schedule,” Napier said. “He’s executing our plan. You know, I think he had a great day (Monday). I think he had his best day today, he took more reps today than he’s been taking.
“Obviously didn’t participate in scrimmage, but he’s, you know, he’s hitting all his numbers from a throw perspective. Ball is coming out of his hand with more velocity than any time in his career. You know, I think he’s just, obviously, we’re working on the soft tissue with the calf, and we’re going to, we’re going to execute our plan there, so he’ll be modified for a while here.”
Florida is 19 days from its opener on Aug. 30 against Long Island University. Napier said that Lagway is getting enough physical and mental reps to prepare himself for the grind of the season.
“He’s getting 70 competitive throws every day,” Napier said. “So his workload is high, it’s just not with a pass rush, you know? Think we’re controlling the environment, trying to take care of him from a soft tissue standpoint.”
With Lagway and receivers Dallas Wilson and Eugene Wilson III sidelined, Napier said the defense was ahead of the offense in UF’s first scrimmage.
“When I’m complimenting one side, typically the other side is contributing to that,” Napier said. “So we need to eliminate the negative plays on offense, and we need to eliminate the mental errors and missed tackles on the defensive side, and then overall, the quality of the execution, the attention to detail, the synchronization of the play, right? I think all those have to improve, and we’re on schedule there.”
Florida freshman QB, freshman WR stand out
Napier said Florida freshman quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. and freshman wide receiver Vernell Brown III were among standouts durng the scrimmage.
After dealing with an injury last spring, Jones has worked his way back into the mix of competing with Aidan Warner and Harrison Bailey for the backup quarterback job behind Lagway.
“Tramell Jones is buzz-worthy,” Napier said. “I think he has gotten more reps with the first and second units. I think we’re dividing those reps up among those three players. Initially, he wasn’t taking any. And then obviously, we’ve increased the reps as he has done more and proven that he’s capable.”
Napier said the 6-foot-0, 203-pound Jones, from Mandarin High in Jacksonville, made plays with his feet and some off-schedule plays.
“Still got to operate much quicker, got to process quicker, communicate better, under the gun and the play clock, you know, his the ability to manage the problems as they arise, all those things need to improve,” Napier said. “But throws a really good ball, he’s very accurate, he’s got arm talent, and I think he’s a smart kid.”
Brown hauled in a touchdown pass from Warner during the scrimmage, beating freshman safety Lagonza Hayward on a deep route.
“Vernell is one of the emerging players in camp, in my opinion,” Napier said. “I think he’s very mature, aware. He’s in great condition, and I think he’s durable. He plays fast for a young player, and I think he’s decisive, and it’s not too big for him. He’s very comfortable in the moment, so he’s got a chance to impact our team as a freshman.”
Sophomore LB stands out on Florida football defense
Sophomore linebacker Aaron Chiles was among standouts on UF’s defense, Napier said. A former Under Armour All-American from Lago, Md., the 6-3, 244-pound Chiles has 22 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup and 1 quarterback hurry as a true freshman last season.
“Aaron Chiles is a guy who was not mid-year last year,” Napier said. “We lose sight of that. So he showed up in June and was able to play as a rookie last year, and got some significant experience, and I think he learned from that experience.
“Had a great offseason. He’s 245 pounds, and he’s got a lot of position flexibility. He could play inside backer, he can play on the edge, he’s got a pass rush ability on third down. He’s a matchup problem.”
Another defensive standout was Jamari Lyons, who is battling with sophomore Michai Boireau for the starting job at nose tackle. The 6-4, 318-pound Lyons is coming off a broken foot that sidelined him the entire 2024 season.
“He continues to get better and better,” Napier said. “He’s getting in football shape. You can see some of the twitch coming back and then obviously he plays with passion. He’s a guy who helps keep everybody accountable. Good temperment. The kind of temperment you want with a defensive lineman.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football QB DJ Lagway making progress, but didn’t play in UF’s first intrasquad scrimmage
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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