Aidan Warner rolls out to pass in Saturday's loss to Georgia at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. (Photo: Lorenzo Vasquez/UAA Communications)
Walk-On Warner Takes Turn in Spotlight as Lagway Rehabs
Monday, November 4, 2024 | Football
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Billy Napier gave fans a glimmer of hope during his press conference on Monday by stating that DJ Lagway may return.
"The good news is we've had positive information on that front,'' Napier said. "That is the positive there. We do think that injury is less significant. We do think there's a pathway for recovery and a return."
Lagway injured himself after cutting and losing his footing with five minutes until halftime against Georgia. The Gators held a 10-3 lead when he departed, but the Florida offense lost its footing without Lagway down the stretch, and UF lost 34-20.
But while Lagway rehabs and may return from the hamstring injury he suffered on Saturday in Jacksonville in the second quarter, there is a reasonable chance Florida will need to turn to another signal caller as a temporary substitute. If that happens, "Aidan Warner" will be on the tip of everyone's tongues in Gainesville.
Warner, a Winter Park, Fla., native and redshirt freshman, joined Florida in the spring as a walk-on but didn't go through spring practice. He spent his first college season at Yale, seeing no playing time.
Because Warner didn't participate during spring practices or summer workouts as the team's other quarterbacks received reps, he didn't have much of an opportunity to show his talent. Following senior Graham Mertz's torn ACL on Oct. 12, Warner jumped to the second string and has impressed Florida coaches over the last three weeks.
"I would say he's had some really good practices. I think there are some things to be encouraged about," Napier said.
Lagway's sudden removal on Saturday thrust Warner into the spotlight of the Florida-Georgia game, only having touched the field in an SEC game once this year prior. His first instance of extended playing time featured a variety of ups and downs.
The walk-on went 7-for-22 for 66 yards and an interception on Saturday, much due to the constant pressure of the Georgia defense. Warner led the Gators on two scoring drives: one for a field goal late in the first half and one for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. What UF fans may remember most, though, was his costly interception with three minutes left in the game.
Napier explained that he was still content with Warner's performance against the No. 2-ranked team in the nation.
"Look, the kid did as good of job as he could do. There will be some plays that he would like to have back, but it's a pretty big stage to trot out there in the middle of that one," Napier said. "I've been impressed with him."
Before the Georgia game, Warner had seen limited action against Samford and Kentucky—the two games he was UF's primary backup for. In his first snaps as a Gator, he rushed for a 9-yard touchdown and completed a pass for 10 yards against Samford. Nearly a month later, he put up a similar stat line against Kentucky, completing one pass for 20 yards.
All that's to say, he didn't have much experience under the SEC limelight before Saturday.
"I came here, got the opportunity, found out my ACL was torn when I got here, had surgery,'' Warner told reporters after the Kentucky game. "I mean, it's been a wild ride. So, just a lot of hard work getting into practice, building that confidence and realizing that I can play here. Once I had that confidence, I was off and running."
Warner's teammates credited him for standing firm against a jump in competition.
"He stepped up, man. He was put in the spotlight. I can't even imagine what was going through that guy's head," tight end Hayden Hansen said. "I have a lot of respect for him. He left it all out on the field."
Some of Warner's ability to immediately step up at Florida is due to his intelligence and calmness.
Hansen mentioned that Warner exuded confidence upon his arrival on UF's campus, which isn't typical for a walk-on. That confidence allows Warner to remain collected, even when competing at a level he hasn't seen before.
As a result of arriving from Yale, there is an expectation that Warner's IQ and processing ability may be an advantage as a former Ivy League player. Hansen agreed with that point.
"They're a little different from everyone else. They can [do] different things," Hansen said. "They expected different things … He picked this playbook up pretty fast."
Warner's impressive first months at UF will be tested if Lagway can't return in the coming weeks. Florida faces No. 5 Texas this Saturday on the Forty Acres before returning home to take No. 14 LSU and No. 16 Ole Miss in consecutive weeks.
His teammates remain confident that he will continue to outplay his billing as he takes on some of the strongest teams in the SEC. Alas, he already did so against Georgia.
"He plays fearless. He came from Yale as a true freshman. He didn't get any playing time there," Hansen said. "He comes here to the SEC, and he finds himself in the Florida-Georgia game ... I was proud of him."
At 4-4, Florida's season is on the line with every contest. The Gators need to find two wins over the next four weeks to be bowl-eligible, and they'll face that task with a range of different faces in the lineup than expected. Warner's performance will be paramount in the next few weeks, and the rest of Florida's team prepares to back him up.
"We're going to rally around him this week and go out there and compete,'' Napier said.
"The good news is we've had positive information on that front,'' Napier said. "That is the positive there. We do think that injury is less significant. We do think there's a pathway for recovery and a return."
Lagway injured himself after cutting and losing his footing with five minutes until halftime against Georgia. The Gators held a 10-3 lead when he departed, but the Florida offense lost its footing without Lagway down the stretch, and UF lost 34-20.
But while Lagway rehabs and may return from the hamstring injury he suffered on Saturday in Jacksonville in the second quarter, there is a reasonable chance Florida will need to turn to another signal caller as a temporary substitute. If that happens, "Aidan Warner" will be on the tip of everyone's tongues in Gainesville.
Warner, a Winter Park, Fla., native and redshirt freshman, joined Florida in the spring as a walk-on but didn't go through spring practice. He spent his first college season at Yale, seeing no playing time.
Because Warner didn't participate during spring practices or summer workouts as the team's other quarterbacks received reps, he didn't have much of an opportunity to show his talent. Following senior Graham Mertz's torn ACL on Oct. 12, Warner jumped to the second string and has impressed Florida coaches over the last three weeks.
"I would say he's had some really good practices. I think there are some things to be encouraged about," Napier said.
Lagway's sudden removal on Saturday thrust Warner into the spotlight of the Florida-Georgia game, only having touched the field in an SEC game once this year prior. His first instance of extended playing time featured a variety of ups and downs.
The walk-on went 7-for-22 for 66 yards and an interception on Saturday, much due to the constant pressure of the Georgia defense. Warner led the Gators on two scoring drives: one for a field goal late in the first half and one for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. What UF fans may remember most, though, was his costly interception with three minutes left in the game.
Napier explained that he was still content with Warner's performance against the No. 2-ranked team in the nation.
"Look, the kid did as good of job as he could do. There will be some plays that he would like to have back, but it's a pretty big stage to trot out there in the middle of that one," Napier said. "I've been impressed with him."
Before the Georgia game, Warner had seen limited action against Samford and Kentucky—the two games he was UF's primary backup for. In his first snaps as a Gator, he rushed for a 9-yard touchdown and completed a pass for 10 yards against Samford. Nearly a month later, he put up a similar stat line against Kentucky, completing one pass for 20 yards.
All that's to say, he didn't have much experience under the SEC limelight before Saturday.
"I came here, got the opportunity, found out my ACL was torn when I got here, had surgery,'' Warner told reporters after the Kentucky game. "I mean, it's been a wild ride. So, just a lot of hard work getting into practice, building that confidence and realizing that I can play here. Once I had that confidence, I was off and running."
Warner's teammates credited him for standing firm against a jump in competition.
"He stepped up, man. He was put in the spotlight. I can't even imagine what was going through that guy's head," tight end Hayden Hansen said. "I have a lot of respect for him. He left it all out on the field."
Some of Warner's ability to immediately step up at Florida is due to his intelligence and calmness.
Hansen mentioned that Warner exuded confidence upon his arrival on UF's campus, which isn't typical for a walk-on. That confidence allows Warner to remain collected, even when competing at a level he hasn't seen before.
As a result of arriving from Yale, there is an expectation that Warner's IQ and processing ability may be an advantage as a former Ivy League player. Hansen agreed with that point.
"They're a little different from everyone else. They can [do] different things," Hansen said. "They expected different things … He picked this playbook up pretty fast."
Warner's impressive first months at UF will be tested if Lagway can't return in the coming weeks. Florida faces No. 5 Texas this Saturday on the Forty Acres before returning home to take No. 14 LSU and No. 16 Ole Miss in consecutive weeks.
His teammates remain confident that he will continue to outplay his billing as he takes on some of the strongest teams in the SEC. Alas, he already did so against Georgia.
"He plays fearless. He came from Yale as a true freshman. He didn't get any playing time there," Hansen said. "He comes here to the SEC, and he finds himself in the Florida-Georgia game ... I was proud of him."
At 4-4, Florida's season is on the line with every contest. The Gators need to find two wins over the next four weeks to be bowl-eligible, and they'll face that task with a range of different faces in the lineup than expected. Warner's performance will be paramount in the next few weeks, and the rest of Florida's team prepares to back him up.
"We're going to rally around him this week and go out there and compete,'' Napier said.
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