DJ Lagway was supposed to be the key to Florida’s success. Instead, the quarterback’s sophomore season with the Gators has been an abject disaster.
Sure, seeing the coach who recruited him to Gainesville and initially believed in him, Billy Napier, fired couldn’t have been great for his development. That doesn’t explain his disastrous game against Kentucky on Saturday, though.
Once thought of as one of the top young up-and-coming quarterbacks in college football, Lagway completed just 11-of-19 passes for 83 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in a 38-7 loss to the Wildcats.
Things got so bad that interim head coach Billy Gonzales benched Lagway at halftime, but that wasn’t meant to be a punishment. Per Gonzales on Monday, he was trying to save his young quarterback.
“We were struggling. He was having a tough time, but it’s not all on him, and I told him that. As a coach, it’s our responsibility. If someone’s struggling, help them out or take them out so they’re not put in that position to have to keep fighting through it,” Gonzales said in a news conference (h/t On3).
Florida Gators trying to get DJ Lagway refocused
Ultimately, Gonzales’ decision to bench Lagway had nothing to do with his belief, or lack thereof, in the Florida quarterback. It was a tactical decision, and it was an acknowledgment that no matter how good of an athlete you are, sometimes you just don’t have “it” on certain days.
“I told him, ‘I know we’re not Major League Baseball, but you’ve got an amazing amount of talent. You’re a great quarterback. But just like in baseball, if a pitcher’s struggling, what do you do? You get the next guy in. It doesn’t mean he’s not a great pitcher. It just means it wasn’t his day,’” Gonzales explained.
The Gators turned to freshman Tramell Jones Jr. in the second half of that Kentucky loss, but that does not mean Lagway won’t get the start moving forward. In fact, Gonzales said that Lagway will take the first team reps this week as the Gators prepare to take on No. 6 Ole Miss.
“I wanted to bring him out. Let him refocus, gather himself, and hopefully turn it into a learning experience that’s going to make him better this week as we prepare for Ole Miss,” Gonzales said.
