Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway is questionable for Saturday’s game against the No. 5-ranked Texas Longhorns, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported on Wednesday.
Whether or not both Lagway and Florida football running back Montrell Johnson Jr. will be in action remains to be seen.
Lagway, the former Gatorade Player of the Year, suffered a hamstring injury against Georgia last week, but Napier has not gone so far as to completely rule him out, so there is still some optimism for Florida fans on their star-studded quarterback. It’s also a positive sign that Lagway returned to practice on Wednesday, despite the status that he’s listed under on the latest availability report from Florida.
Head coach Billy Napier did not elaborate on the capacity in which Lagway practiced, though. He described the situation as “touch and go.”
“I think he’s trying,” Napier said during his Wednesday press conference. “You think about him; he’s going back to his home state. He wants to try to find a pathway to make this work. It’s touch and go. Look, the guy’s giving it his best shot. We’ll see where we’re at in the league. There’s no secret to it anymore. You guys will have a good idea where we’re at when we approach kickoff.”
There is no question Lagway is doing all he can to get back to the field, not only because of his naturally competitive nature that has contributed so much to his success but also the fact that he’s a Texas native. This contest will mean just a little bit more to him because of that.
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Lagway has completed 60.9% of his passes for 1,071 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions over eight games in 2024, with veteran quarterback Graham Mertz beginning the season as the team’s starting quarterback. The Florida Gators eventually started playing both quarterbacks in games, but Mertz was forced out of action for the season when he tore his ACL in the 23-17 overtime loss to Tennessee earlier this season.
Florida will hope to get some good news on Lagway in time for Saturday against one of the toughest opponents they have on the schedule for the 2024 season. Kickoff between the Gators and the Longhorns is set for 11 a.m. CT in Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium.
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