DJ Lagway is greeted enthusiastically by fans as he leaves the field after Florida's upset of No. 9-ranked Texas and QB Arch Manning. (Photo: Alan Youngblood/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Carter's Corner: Could Lagway's Response Against Texas Be A Reintroduction?
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 | Football, Scott Carter
Share:
By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Running back Jadan Baugh answered questions in a back corner as quarterback DJ Lagway took a spot at the podium in the front. They were inside the Gators' meeting room adjacent to the locker room on Saturday night to speak to the media after Florida's 29-21 win over No. 9-ranked Texas snapped a three-game losing streak and offered hope of a possible turnaround.
In a quarterback matchup that had been hyped, debated and tossed around for months, Lagway outplayed the Longhorns' Arch Manning. Lagway's performance (21 of 28, 298 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) came two weeks after a dismal outing at Miami in which he passed for only 61 yards.
After the 19-point loss to the Hurricanes, Lagway guaranteed he would improve during the upcoming bye week and lead the team back from the brink of extinction only four games into the season. For one game, at least, Lagway delivered wonderfully on his promise.
Reporters asked Baugh about Lagway's resiliency in the bounce-back win that followed an extended stretch of constant criticism for UF head coach Billy Napier, as well as Lagway's role in the team's offensive execution and Florida's 1-3 start.
"Playing quarterback is hard," Baugh said.
He's got that right. You can be a hero one week, a bum the next.
DJ Lagway responded to arguably the worst game of his college career at Miami with perhaps the best in the victory over Texas. (Photo: Jordan Perez/UAA Communications)
The position is the most scrutinized in sports and the subject of a new 400-page book by ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham, whose latest offering is "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback."
Wickersham delves deep into the quarterback position in a way few have, speaking with greats such as John Elway, Warren Moon and Steve Young, as well as current NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams, and young phenoms like Texas' Manning and LSU's Colin Hurley.
Wickersham even writes about his stint as a high school quarterback and the demands, isolation, glory and expectations – both internal and external – that come with the position.
"It's really remarkable to think about that when you zoom back," Wickersham recently told The Athletic. "There's 16,000 starting quarterbacks in high school every year. And then there's three or four each generation to make the (Hall of Fame). How do you survive that winnowing, and what does it do to you? What kind of mentality does it take to survive? Those are the questions I try to get at in the book."
Napier can relate.
He played quarterback for his father in high school and continued his career at Furman University. Napier understands the rollercoaster ride Lagway has been on since emerging as one of the top young quarterbacks in college football a season ago, leading the Gators to a 6-1 record in his seven starts as a true freshman.
Lagway has battled an assortment of injuries (hamstring, shoulder, abdomen, calf, foot) during his time with the Gators and continues to play at less than 100 percent heading into Saturday night's showdown at No. 5-ranked Texas A&M.
"This kid has been through the gauntlet," Napier said. "There will be a book wrote about this set of circumstances. The kid is tough. He has character. I think that he is loyal, sometimes to a fault. But he works like no one else."
Lagway has been in the spotlight since developing into the top-ranked quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class. Manning, a third-year sophomore, was the No. 1-ranked quarterback in the 2023 recruiting cycle.
Their highly anticipated matchup last weekend at The Swamp served as a reminder of how tenuous approval ratings can be for the game's most important player.
Lagway regained some followers in the wake of his performance, highlighted by a pair of touchdown throws to freshman receiver Dallas Wilson. Meanwhile, Manning continued to fall short of living up to the family legacy, causing additional angst among Texas fans.
As for perspective, consider that Saturday was Lagway's 12th career start, and the seventh for Manning.
They are talented but young. They are high-profile players but inexperienced. They are learning as they go.
Quarterback DJ Lagway during the GatorWalk before Saturday's win over Texas. (Photo: Jordan Perez/UAA Communications)
"What I've been saying to him is look, you're going to be playing the game a long time and there's going to be days like this, there's going to be weeks like this," Napier said. "Playing in this league, playing in the next league, every team is a good team, and you're going to have bad days, and you've got to have an identity independent of the game. That's where his faith — he can stand on that.
"I thought he was kind of back in that mode he was in at the end of last year, where he was playing immobile and for the most part was a great leader, great teammate."
Lagway's confidence took a hit in the loss at LSU when he threw five interceptions. He was limited physically in the loss at Miami, and Napier reeled in the game plan. Finally, Lagway looked more like the player against Texas who led Florida on a four-game winning streak to end last season.
He made throws in the middle of the field. He hit receivers down the sideline. He threw deep. Most importantly, he led the Gators to victory.
It was only one game. But it was a much-needed win and came against a Manning. That means something in the world of elite quarterbacks, those already in the club and those seeking to join.
They will continue to write books and yak about quarterbacks on TV for as long as the game exists. Who knows what they will be saying about Lagway one day? But as he prepares for his 13th career start, he can rely on his 12th as a reintroduction.
He played more like what we – and he – expected.
"I feel like when we're in this industry, in this game, you've always got to have [a] next-day mentality," Lagway said. "Focus on the moment."
That moment is now. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Today.
After the 19-point loss to the Hurricanes, Lagway guaranteed he would improve during the upcoming bye week and lead the team back from the brink of extinction only four games into the season. For one game, at least, Lagway delivered wonderfully on his promise.
