In his final game as a freshman, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway capped off his inaugural season with the Gators by completing 22 of 35 passing attempts for 305 yards and a touchdown as UF secured its fourth-consecutive victory with a 33-8 win over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Considering Lagway’s first-year status, it was another reminder of the signal-caller’s lofty potential moving forward; The Willis, Texas, native’s ability to manage the game and repeatedly make wise decisions was increasingly evident as the year progressed, and Friday’s contest in Tampa was no different.
Yet it wasn’t entirely positive, as both Lagway and head coach Billy Napier noted in the immediate aftermath of the victory over the Green Wave.
In the first half, Lagway made a pair of errant throws, the first into double coverage and the second near the goal-line, that were intercepted with little difficulty by the opposition. And, the red zone execution of Florida’s offense led by Lagway left much to be desired as the Gators settled for four field goals by Trey Smack rather than cap drives with six points.
“In general, we just weren’t able to capitalize on the red zone possessions,” Napier said. “
Granted, Lagway had excuses if he wanted to make them. The Gators were without two starting offensive linemen, leading to a pocket that collapsed too frequently and forced him to make decisions quicker than usual. And, with Lagway seemingly still on the mend from a Grade 2 hamstring strain suffered in the first half of UF’s 34-20 loss to Georgia, it’s not far-fetched to think the 6-foot-3, 239-pound freshman quarterback was instructed to limit contact and protect himself rather than pick up extra yardage on the ground outside of the play-call.
As undesirable as Lagway’s early giveaways were in what was a six-point lead for the Gators at halftime, the freshman quarterback was markedly improved in the second half. Lagway found tight end Tony Livingston late in the third quarter for the first touchdown of the afternoon, and final two quarters of the contest saw him play turnover-free football as UF’s advantage quickly grew from a one-score game at halftime to a 33-point advantage in the closing minutes of the contest.
It exemplified his resilience and ability to correct mistakes, even in a contest that was relatively meaningless outside of UF’s desire to end the season on a high note and send the seniors out on a victory.
“I was just playing bad football, you know, just not taking care of the ball,” Lagway acknowledged of his first-half performance. “Seeing plays that I thought I could make and just forcing it. But just came out in the second half, my guys rallied around me, it’s just a blessing to have amazing teammates as I have and the coaches and everybody rallying behind me and just fixing things in the second half.”
Lagway will now have 252 days to further improve as Florida’s starting quarterback for the 2025 season, which will certainly come with lofty expectations and preseason hype. There’s already speculation he’ll be considered one of the top candidates to bring home the Heisman Trophy in 2025, and analysts and pundits have projected him to be one of the nation’s top signal-callers as he continues to progress in Gainesville.
Beneficial as Friday’s victory may have been, which saw Lagway pass for the most yards in Gasparilla Bowl history and bring home the Most Valuable Player award of the bowl game, it only furthered his desire to shore up his craft and exceed sky-high expectations when the 2025 season arrives.
“It definitely gave me an edge. It’s a bad taste in my mouth with my performance,” Lagway said. “So it’s going to be straight to work this offseason.”
