The Florida Gators are up and running in the offseason, and so is their much-hyped QB1, DJ Lagway. He’s putting fears about his longevity at ease and is now back at practice. Lagway became a favorite in his freshman season, a feat that not many other rookies enjoy in CFB. “[His] instincts were so pure that he could make it happen,” QB coach Ryan O’Hara said about Lagway. But as promising a player as he seems to be, there are concerns about his fragility too. He is the program’s face, after all, and Billy Napier trod carefully around his star player’s development. Now, Napier is confident that Lagway is poised to continue from where he left off.

Racking up 1,915 yards, 12 TDs, and a 59.9% completion percentage in a debut season is no easy feat. Lagway did that and quite literally saved Napier and Co. from a sorry finish last year. After taking over from Graham Mertz in the Tennessee game, Lagway proved every bit of why he was the No. 1 QB of the 2024 recruiting class. He stumbled in the Georgia and Texas games. But he didn’t tap out without establishing himself as a player worthy of being on the lookout for. His absence from spring practice led people to wonder if Lagway’s brilliance will be diminished this year. Napier knows how high the expectations are for him and patiently worked to allow his QB1 to recover fully. After spring, Napier’s wait is being rewarded.

Josh Pate discussed with the Gators HC the nervousness levels for Lagway’s 2025 season. The host said, “I listened to you at the end of spring, and then it kind of subsided a little bit.” Napier was all smiles and added, “Yeah, he’s throwing three days a week. He’ll be ready to go for OTAs here.”

Lagway’s return to formal practices is a huge moment, as he stands to be a fierce competitor to some equally formidable competitors. In April, Lagway began taking reps from behind as part of his limited presence in spring ball. There was a time when analysts thought Florida had little hope if Lagway did not return to practice by June.

A lot of Napier’s 2025 campaign is dependent on DJ Lagway’s performance. Because it was the QB who allowed the Gators to rebound from their dooming finish. And all of this was also in the most difficult schedule in CFB last year. Unfortunately, it was the big games that the Gators lost. Lagway now has a taste of being in such a rough environment and is once again going to face another difficult schedule. 2025 will be a redemption year for Lagway, provided he manages to stay healthy throughout. If he puts forward an equally or more brilliant performance this year, DJ Lagway will be a surefire contender for the Heisman, too.

It wasn’t easy to be a member of the Gators program last year, as they pulled through the season with a respectable 8-5 finish. Billy Napier sends a powerful message to the locker room, which held its cool as fans doused them in the fires of negativity.

Billy Napier praises his locker room for standing tall

“You choose blame or accountability all the time. You get put in difficult situations, you face adversity, and that group didn’t point the finger,” Napier told Pate, lauding the efforts of his team and staff as they persevered through last year. The Gators stuck with each other and held onto their strengths. “They kind of got back to back , and they just went to work. When we were in those difficult times, kind of coming out of that, it was literally one day at a time,” Napier added further.

He and the staff also turned this aspect into a productive strategy called the “one-day contract.” Napier then explained how the plan worked, “If we were doing a documentary on you today, okay, at the end of the day, based off your work, would you get the call to come back the next day?” This strategy was something the locker room took seriously. “It’s not about yesterday, it’s not about tomorrow; it’s about today,” Napier said.

“Belief’s powerful, man. And you can kind of see that group kind of gain some confidence,” Napier added further. The Gators are not getting any slack in their schedules. Right in the midst of their 2024 season, the team looked capable of crumbling under pressure and falling apart. But they still put in the work and made it out respectably. This year, too, will be a challenge for Billy Napier and DJ Lagway. The fact that the success of his 2025 runs on that of Lagway’s. Looking at the confidence the HC has in the way Lagway is developing himself ahead of this season, maybe the Gators have a chance of sailing past their troubles from last year.