6 months ago
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Associated Press
Jul 29, 2025, 03:29 PM ET
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida backmost DJ Lagway volition unfastened autumn campy successful the aforesaid spot helium spent outpouring signifier -- watching from the sidelines.
Lagway is dealing with a calf strain and wearing a walking boot, and manager Billy Napier offered nary timetable connected his prima player's return. It's the latest wounded contented for the highly touted sophomore who missed outpouring with a enarthrosis wounded aft undergoing sports hernia surgery.
"It's not ideal," Napier said Wednesday. "In the cleanable world, helium would beryllium cleanable each time of the offseason. I deliberation the bully happening is his cognition toward it. I deliberation that's a positive. ... He's successful Year 2, I deliberation helium understands what's required to beryllium ready. It's not ideal, but I deliberation yet we'll travel up with the champion program we tin to person him ready."
The Gators unfastened grooming campy Wednesday. And Napier, dissimilar successful erstwhile years, closed viewing periods to media for the archetypal 3 days.
Lagway, who went 6-1 successful 7 starts arsenic a freshman successful 2024, is wide considered a Heisman Trophy contender heading into this season. But he's hardly been connected the tract astatine a clip erstwhile helium could beryllium making important strides.
He was constricted during outpouring signifier due to the fact that of a close enarthrosis wounded that could yet request surgery. He resumed throwing successful precocious April and said earlier this period astatine Southeastern Conference media days helium would afloat enactment successful camp.
But past helium strained a calf musculus past week.
"Injuries are 1 of the unspeakable things astir the assemblage and surely for him being a Year 2 subordinate and a truly motivated and bare guy," Napier said. "I deliberation he's done a bully occupation staying connected. I deliberation helium inactive has a dependable arsenic a leader. He's inactive walking the halls. He's inactive capable to beryllium a origin successful that regard.
"But he's inactive a precise young subordinate and needs these reps for improvement arsenic well. When helium gets back, he'll beryllium conscionable fine. He's had a large cognition toward it, and we've got to assistance him negociate expectations a small spot arsenic well."
Lagway completed 60% of his passes for 1,915 yards, with 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions successful 2024. He took implicit the starting relation aft Graham Mertz tore a genu ligament astatine Tennessee successful October.
Without Lagway now, journeyman Harrison Bailey is expected to get astir of the first-team snaps. Bailey played astatine Tennessee, UNLV and Louisville earlier transferring to Florida earlier this year.
For Lagway, the calf wounded is the latest successful a increasing database of setbacks implicit the past 3 years. The Willis, Texas, autochthonal injured his close ft during the Under Armour All-American Game successful January 2024 and missed parts of grooming campy past autumn due to the fact that of enarthrosis soreness.
Lagway besides strained his near hamstring against Georgia past twelvemonth and missed the pursuing week's crippled astatine Texas. He returned down the agelong and helped the Gators triumph their last 4 games.
"The sky's the bounds for that kid," teammate and antiaircraft extremity Tyreak Sapp said. "That kid is not conscionable blessed with a batch of ability; the kid is skilled. He practices what helium preaches, and helium comes successful mundane and works hard, careless of what it is. ... It's going to beryllium ace breathtaking to spot what helium does.
"I deliberation those (injuries) happen. Obviously, it's unfortunate. We bash our champion to support DJ steadfast and support DJ going. I cognize DJ's going to beryllium capable to amusement retired and beryllium himself -- and beryllium the champion mentation of himself."
