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Florida QB DJ Lagway and the injury concerns that put College Football Playoff hopes in limbo
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- Florida QB DJ Lagway and the injury concerns that put College Football Playoff hopes in limbo
He's not throwing in spring practice, and there's no timetable for his return.
And that's about the only certainty this offseason for injured Florida quarterback DJ Lagway .
This much we do know: if Florida signs a quarterback when the spring portal opens next week, there's more to unfold from this developing story .
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Florida coach Billy Napier says Lagway has a shoulder injury, and a "lower body" injury. Two people close to the situation, speaking to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Lagway's shoulder injury could eventually need surgery, and his "lower body" injury is a core injury.
That leaves Lagway, one of the game's rising stars, with two significant injuries heading into a critical offseason for the Gators. Lagway also had a hamstring injury in 2024 that sidelined him in the second half against Georgia and all of the following week's game at Texas .
Florida quarterback DJ Lagway (2) gestures before a play against Miami during their game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
"He's doing great," Napier said last week when asked about Lagway during a spring practice media opportunity. "He has been modified in terms of his ability to throw the ball."
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Which is to say, he hasn't thrown all spring.
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The two people close to the situation said the shoulder injury, more than likely, will need surgery at some point. The hope is offseason rest – as many as six months of non-throwing – will strengthen the shoulder, or at least allow Lagway to play the 2025 season.
He could then have surgery after the season, and be ready for the start of the 2026 season. Lagway initially injured the shoulder in high school, and extended rest and rehabilitation was the course of treatment.
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The Lagway family, in consultation with the Florida staff and team and private physicians, has decided on rest and rehab this offseason instead of any potential surgery — which would now prevent Lagway from playing most or all of the 2025 season.
Napier, who has declined all offseason to explain specifics of the injury, said last week, "Obviously, you know, it's really more of a holistic approach in terms of what we're doing with him."
This is a sticky situation on many levels. Florida has invested significant NIL funds on Lagway, and the Gators are a completely different team when he's playing.
He not only led the Gators on a late-season surge with wins over LSU and Mississippi , Florida was leading SEC champion Georgia 13-6 late in the second quarter when Lagway sustained the hamstring injury.
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With Lagway, the Gators had the Georgia defense stunned and scrambling to adjust. Without Lagway, the Gators - with a walk-on replacement - eventually wore down with a one-dimensional offense in a 34-20 loss.
Lagway started six games in 2024, and threw for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He also averaged 10 yards per attempt, and the Florida offense was drastically different with him under center.
The Gators officially ended the College Football Playoff hopes of LSU and Ole Miss in back-to-back weeks behind Lagway's big-play ability, and a rapidly improving defense. The late-season surge became a referendum on Napier and Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin's call for patience with a young and developing team.
Now Florida is a sleeper pick for the College Football Playoff.
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The problem moving forward: Lagway's backups are walk-on Aidan Warner , who struggled last season against Georgia and Texas – the SEC's two best defenses – and one-time blue chip recruit Harrison Bailey , who will be playing for his fourth team this fall ( Tennessee , UNLV , Louisville ).
Neither of those two would seem to be the answer against one of the nation's most difficult schedules. The Gators have road games in 2025 against Miami (Fla.), Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss in addition a neutral-site game against Georgia and home games against Texas and Tennessee.
The idea of Warner and/or Bailey winning any of those games seems far-fetched, even though Bailey threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns in his only start at Louisville — a bowl win over Washington.
Warner has played the best of the two in spring drills, and both will get a majority of the repetitions in Saturday's spring game. Maybe one of the two separates in that game, and the staff doesn't feel the need to add from the portal.
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And at this point, any addition from the spring portal – which officially opens April 16 for 10 days – who is good enough to start Day 1 would have to accept the reality that it may not happen in 2025.
For now, the focus is on Lagway and his injured shoulder. It's the difference between a playoff sleeper, or the great unknown.
That might be the only certainty this offseason at Florida.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida QB DJ Lagway's injury concerns put CFP hopes in limbo
