Gators quarterback signee DJ Lagway holds the Gatorade National Player of the Year trophy as 1987 winner, former Gators All-American Emmitt Smith, looks on. (Photo: Jordan Herald/UAA Communications)
Grand Arrival: Emmitt Smith Welcomes Incoming Gators Quarterback DJ Lagway With More Than Gatorade Award
Friday, January 5, 2024 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One is certified Gators royalty with a bronzed bust in Canton. The other one dreams of similar tributes someday. One is an athletic 54-year-old with gray in his beard. The other is a fresh-faced 18 quick to flash those deep dimples.
"He's a good-looking kid,'' said the older man. "That's a good face to have."
They met for the first time on Thursday morning at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, a union that bridged the Gators football program's distinguished past with a hopeful future.
As Emmitt Smith stood at the end of the tunnel leading from Florida's locker room, incoming Gators quarterback DJ Lagway was about to receive the shock of his young life. Lagway was told he was there for a photo session after arriving in town with his parents from Orlando, where he played in Wednesday's Under Armour All-America Game.
Smith waited outside as Lagway opened the door and headed down the tunnel. He did not have a camera.
Instead, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back held the Gatorade National Player of the Year trophy. Smith was the first Florida player to win the award 36 years ago as the nation's top high school football player at Escambia High in Pensacola. Lagway, a five-star prospect from Willis, Texas, is the latest.
Emmitt Smith and DJ Lagway talk on Thursday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Photo: Jordan Herald/UAA Communications)
The moment was another page turned during a week full of memorable experiences for both Smith and Lagway.
After finishing his playing career at UF in 1989, Smith became the NFL's all-time leading rusher. He strolled back into his glorious past on Sunday in Dallas when former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson was inducted into the franchise's Ring of Honor. Smith and former teammates Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and others participated in the ceremony.
Meanwhile, since Lagway signed with the Gators last month, he has racked up several state and national awards, but none more prominent than the trophy Smith handed him at 11:40 Thursday morning on a sunny and cool January day. Smith wasn't the only one to make the trip from Texas to surprise Lagway.
As part of Gatorade's unique announcement — it's the first time the sports beverage company has presented the award to a player on a college campus — 50 friends and family of Lagway's sat quietly in the stands above the entrance. Lagway's grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends stood and cheered when Smith pointed up to them after handing Lagway the trophy.
"It's truly a dream come true," Lagway said of the award. "I've been dreaming about this since I was a young kid. I was so surprised. I wasn't expecting to see Emmitt Smith."
While Thursday's festivities were Gatorade's way of honoring Lagway, the day offered Smith and Lagway a chance to discuss how Lagway's life is about to change. They strolled around Florida Field alone for a few minutes Thursday, then held press conferences on Zoom with Houston-area media that covered Lagway in high school, CBS/247 Sports, USA Today and Sports Illustrated.
Clearly awed by Smith's presence, Lagway sat next to him at a table in the small room where Florida's running backs used to meet in the south end zone of The Swamp. The wall was adorned with photo plaques of the best running backs in school history, drawing Smith's attention.
He pointed to Ran Carthon and told Lagway about his success in becoming general manager of the Tennessee Titans. He pointed to Cedric Smith, Emmitt's former blocking back at Florida, and shared how Smith developed a longtime career as an NFL strength coach. He mentioned others who have gone on to have success in business and various endeavors.
Smith's direct message was to work hard to maximize your potential as a player and to develop skills to benefit you later in life.
So much of Smith's path to success, he told Lagway, began the summer he arrived at UF and was introduced to college football and strength coach Rich Tuten. Smith said he showed up ready to play and knew he had talent, but the real test was ahead.
"The expectations were very high,'' Smith said. "Rich Tuten, he took a personal liking to me and wanted to make sure I was ready."
Smith soon learned he had gears he didn't know existed.
"I was afraid to go into the weight room every day because every time I would come in, Rich would meet me at the door and take me through my own personal workout,'' Smith said. "He just pushed me throughout the whole entire summer. His mission was to get me ready for the SEC. Eventually, I got into a flow and a groove, and I came to realize that, yes, this is just part of the process. You learn how to become mentally tougher and mentally stronger."
Lagway faces similar expectations as Smith did nearly four decades ago when, as a freshman, Smith rushed for 1,341 yards and 13 touchdowns. The No. 2-rated quarterback signee in the country, according to 247Sports, Lagway passed for more than 4,600 yards and 58 touchdowns as a senior. He rushed for 16 touchdowns and 957 yards at Willis High to lead the school to its best season in 60 years.
He is the jewel of the Gators' 2024 recruiting class and the player UF coach Billy Napier seeks to build the program around in the years ahead. Lagway is taking it all in stride as he opens the next chapter.
"To see all the greats who have this award, I feel like it's a good building block to what's going to come," he said. "It's truly a blessing. This is one of the awards I truly wanted coming into the season. I've been working my butt off for the whole offseason and in years past for this goal and accomplishment.
"I'm ready for college. I'm ready to get to work. What's in the past is in the past. That doesn't mean anything anymore."
Gators Great Emmitt Smith visits the Heavener Football Training Center for the first time on Thursday. (Photo: Jordan Herald/UAA Communications)
No one knows that more than the player Gators fans remember running over and past would-be tacklers in his No. 22 jersey. Smith took a stroll down memory lane Thursday as Lagway opened the door to the future.
He took photos with Lagway, posed with dozens of Lagway's family and friends who know Smith more as a Texas celebrity, chatted with Napier about the Gators and Cowboys teams Napier recalled growing up, and took a tour of the Heavener Football Training Center for the first time.
Smith bounced from area to area like a freshman, blown away at the amenities compared to his college career.
"The only thing that's the same is the practice field,'' he said. "These young kids today have no idea how good they have it. How can you not play your best? This is amazing."
Smith is one of the game's all-time great players and has seen the good, the bad and the ugly. He met the young face that represents Gators' biggest hope on Thursday. Smith undoubtedly made an impression on the kid.
The kid made one, too.
"I'm excited to see him get on the football field and excited to see how he can help turn the program around and get us back on the winning track,'' Smith said. "He cannot do it by himself, but he can definitely be a good piece of the puzzle. He's done it in high school, and there's no reason for me to doubt that he cannot do it at this level. He understands what is going to be required.
"When you win the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award, that says a whole lot about your ability and your leadership."
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