Billy Napier Reveals DJ Lagway Status for Week 1 Matchup

In the middle of August, one source told On3's Pete Nakos that Lagway would "be ready" for Week 1.

On Monday, just days before Florida's opener against the Long Island Sharks, head coach Billy Napier doubled down on his QB's availability.

“DJ’s been a 100% participant here in practice for several days," Napier said, via Zach Goodall of 247Sports. "He’s having a lot of fun playing football and competing.”

That's certainly a positive development for Lagway and the Gators.

The other QB options for Napier were going to be Louisville Cardinals transfer Harrison Bailey or Aidan Warner, the latter of whom replaced Lagway in 2024 after he suffered an injury.

But Florida's success largely depends on Lagway's health. He was even discussed as a Heisman Trophy finalist entering the season, so there are plenty of high hopes and aspirations for the former five-star recruit.

A Look at Florida's Early-Season Schedule

The good news is that Lagway and Florida should have a somewhat easy path for the first two games.

Florida begins with home games against Long Island and the South Florida Bulls, both of which the Gators should be favored in, especially because they are played in Gainesville.

After that, things get very daunting for the Gators. Florida then faces the LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies in four straight games, although there is a bye right before the Texas showdown.

As Lagway looks to begin the season on the right foot and shake off the injury bug, it is encouraging that Florida's schedule sets up nicely early on, but that four-game stretch should be a telling sign of how good this team will be.