Florida football coach Billy Napier said quarterback DJ Lagway is practicing during the bye week and referred to rumors that Lagway is opting out for the remainder of the 2025 season as ‘comical.’
Lagway was spotted in a walking boot this week, fueling speculation that he re-injured a calf strain that limited him the first three weeks of Florida Gators fall camp. But Napier said it was merely a case of the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Lagway having his foot stepped on during UF’s 26-7 loss to rival Miami on Sept. 20.
Lagway took accountability for UF’s offensive struggles following the Miami loss, in which he was held to a career-low 61 yards passing. The week before, Lagway threw a career-high five interceptions in UF’s 20-10 loss to LSU.
Through four games, Lagway has thrown for 690 yards with 5 TDs and 6 interceptions, posting a quarterback rating (47.4) that ranks 90th out of 135 FBS quarterbacks. Lagway, who dealt with shoulder, core and calf issues throughout a limited offseason, could preserve a redshirt year if he sat out the rest of the season, but Napier said that’s not going to happen.
“It’s comical,” Napier said. “The kid has been back in here since last Sunday, working his butt off Monday, yesterday had a really good day. So, yeah, we can’t control that outside narrative obviously. He’s just fine. He’s been in the building just like he’s on the staff so he’s been back to work and certainly, that’s a total myth that’s out there.”
Florida (1-3, 0-1 SEC) has an open week before facing No. 7 Texas on Oct. 4 at The Swamp (3:30 p.m., ABC or ESPN). Last season, Florida regrouped after a 2-2 start during the September open week to finish the season winning six of its final nine games. The Gators are practicing this week after taking Sept. 21 off.
“We always have areas on our team where we need to improve from a football perspective,” Napier said. “Communication, fundamentals, how teams are playing us, what adjustments we need to be making and then getting plans for improvement for some of the individuals that we need to make progress.”
Florida football coach Billy Napier holding on to play calling
Napier said there’s a “renewed emphasis on accountability” on offense during the open week after Florida has scored just three touchdowns in its last three games.
But Napier said he intends to hold on play calling for UF’s next game against Texas.
“Every position group is contributing to our issues,” Napier said. “Obviously a lot has been made of DJ and his situation but I think when we look at it from a big picture standpoint we’ve got to play better around him and some of the points of emphasis is eliminating negative plays, and I do think first down efficiency has contributed to some of our problems as well.”
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 coach Billy Napier says QB DJ Lagway practicing this week, calls opt-out rumors ‘comical’
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
