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2025 has simply not been DJ Lagway’s year. Having come back at one of the most troubling times for Florida, the QB hasn’t been much help. The drop in progression has led to a lot of questions about his training, which saw an abrupt change this offseason. Lagway’s former coach dropped an eye-catching reveal about what went on with the QB during the offseason. Entering the season, there were some serious doubts about Lagway’s health. And after 8 games, he is yet to click back into his spellbinding self from 2024. Florida wanted the QB to operate on a whole new level in 2025, since he became the trump card for success. To do that, UF decided to shake things up by bringing out their A-game to help Lagway rebound. That plan, however, involved Florida reducing JP Tillman, his longtime QB coach, to a mere onlooker. Tillman wrote that he has coached Lagway all through his high school years, and was even on campus last year to train him. “[But] with how on ice he was this off season he wasn’t able to train with me at all,” he highlighted. Tillman then claimed that when Lagway was able to come back, Florida dropped the coach. “[He] was asked to go to [Jacksonville] and work with the guys that train [Anthony Richardson],” Tillman added. Lagway’s training has come under the scanner throughout the entirety of the season, after all. ADVERTISEMENT DJ Lagway was battered and bruised after the 2024 season. There’s no two ways about that. He suffered and played through a core muscle injury, for which he had to go through surgery. The QB also had to treat a hamstring and groin injury, which led him to exerting his already affected shoulder. That then caused his nagging injury to flare up, which was a big focal point of his comeback this season. “It was as abnormal as abnormal can get,” his, and Anthony Richardson’s agent, Deiric Jackson, told CBS Sports. Lagway and Richardson trained with CORTX Sports Performance, under the supervision of Dr. Tom Gormerly, the facility’s co-founder. But despite him being under the care of vetted professionals, the recovery period wasn’t without mistakes. Lagway, who was throwing more than 210 passes in practice in May, hurt his calf in July, throwing things off track once again. Napier confirmed in a teleconference that he “started practicing about 10 days before the opener.” But, the drop in quality despite recovering and training at a higher level has been inundated with questions. ADVERTISEMENT Under JP Tillman, DJ Lagway hauled in a total of 10,588 offensive yards, and a total of 129 TDs (passing and rushing). The coach sent Lagway to Florida as the 2023 National Gatorade Player of the Year and winner of the Bobby Dodd National Back of the Year. The Heisman equivalent in high school. 2 years later, he’s one of the most disappointing QBs in the SEC. The promise that Lagway showed in 2024 was likely because Tillman was a part of his training. At this point, it’s unclear if it is just Lagway’s bad use of technique, or if he is truly limited by injury. After Week 10, DJ Lagway is yet to become a source of hope for Florida fans. And it’s no surprise that fans want to see a new face at QB. ADVERTISEMENT Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports Steve Spurrier talks Tramell Jones-DJ Lagway situation at Florida Lagway himself was thrust to the center stage when Graham Mertz went down with an injury in 2024. The change at QB proved to be the switch Florida was looking for. He became a reason why Billy Napier could outlast the 2024 season as the Gators HC. But the disappointing showcase this season has fans calling for the QB to be benched. Steve Spurrier, Florida’s beloved coach, shared his thoughts about the growing calls for Lagway to be replaced by rookie Tramell Jones. “All I know is, in 2000 when we won our last SEC championship, Jesse Palmer would come in when Rex Grossman was going bad and win the game for us,” the former coach said on Another Dooley Noted Podcast. Spurrier also said that rotating quarterbacks is “no big deal” for him, but that some might not be inclined to change the status quo. When it comes to DJ Lagway, the situation is not so simple. Not only is the QB not keeping healthy, but he’s simply become bad at his game. ADVERTISEMENT
