GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway has resumed throwing after resting his ailing right shoulder throughout the Gators’ spring practice.
Lagway posted two short videos on social media Monday of him making throws at CORTX Sports Performance in Ponte Vedra Beach, a training center near Jacksonville that has worked with current NFL quarterbacks Brock Purdy, Anthony Richardson, Jordan Travis and Gardner Minshew.
It was a positive step forward for Lagway, a sophomore who reported shoulder soreness in the offseason that carried over from last year. He was limited in spring practice and then played just five snaps in the team’s annual spring game, all of them ending in handoffs.
The Gators took a cautious approach with Lagway in hopes of giving his throwing shoulder extra time to heal. Florida coach Billy Napier said Lagway, who also was recovering from a core muscle injury, is expected to be full go when the team reconvenes for workouts in June.
Lagway completed 60% of his passes for 1,915 yards, with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a freshman last season. He took over the starting role after Graham Mertz tore a knee ligament in October.
In his final three years at Willis High School in Texas, Lagway threw 849 passes for 8,264 yards and 99 touchdowns and ran 278 times for 1,684 yards and 29 more scores. He also served as a pitcher on the baseball team, leaving his shoulder little downtime.
He missed some practice time as a freshman last fall due to shoulder soreness, but it never caused him to miss a game.
He was sidelined one game last November while recovering from a strained left hamstring, but started every game thereafter, including Florida’s bowl victory against Tulane in December.
The Gators signed college journeyman Harrison Bailey to be Lagway’s backup this fall. Bailey has played at Tennessee, UNLV and Louisville.
