Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway wants to believe that his 1-3 team can turn it around here in the 2025 college football season.
The problem is, under the leadership of head coach Billy Napier and as currently constructed, this doesn’t seem like the team that’s going to be able to pull off the second-half turnaround that we saw in the 2024 season.
Still, Lagway is saying the right things.
“It’s been hard, but let me tell y’all something, we’re going to get things changed, for sure. I can guarantee that,” Lagway said, according to Andrea Adelson of ESPN over the weekend. This is not acceptable at all. I’m not going to sit here and lie to y’all and make this seem like this is OK. This isn’t OK. We’ve got to play better football, and it starts with me.”
The Gators’ 2025 schedule is brutal
What’s the difference in 2025?
Mainly, it’s Florida’s brutal schedule. The Gators have lost to No. 3 LSU and No. 4 Miami in quick succession, and they still have games against No. 10 Texas, No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 5 Georgia, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 15 Tennessee and No. 8 Florida State on the docket.
Even if Florida can beat the unranked teams on its remaining schedule (Mississippi State and Kentucky) there’s a good chance this team finishes 3-9.
Heck, even the games against Mississippi State and Kentucky aren’t guaranteed wins for Florida. This team lost to previously unranked USF at home. At this point in the season, the teams feature a 6-1 combined record, with the Bulldogs checking in at 4-0 with a win over then-No. 12 Arizona State.
Lagway has been part of the problem for the Gators
There’s just no easy way to predict a turnaround this season for the Gators, but Lagway is a big part of the problem. Take away his opening game against Long Island and he’s completed just 68-of-105 passes for 507 yards and two touchdowns compared to six interceptions.
Lagway was supposed to be a star for Florida, and his star power was supposedly enough to make up for the deficiencies in Napier as a head coach. But what if neither of the two main pillars of the team are good? That’s how you get this kind of season from the Gators, and no amount of positive self-talk can change that.
And still, Lagway will say the right things. Whether he’s struggling or not, he’s a leader for this team, and that’s what leaders do.
“I’m going to demand greatness from everybody,” Lagway said. “We’re done with the playing around stuff. It’s time to get serious. It starts with me. I’ve got to set the tempo. I’ve got to set the tone in practice in meetings around the building. I know for a fact it’s going to change because it’s going to start with me.”
