Florida flopped and it will be up to a freshman quarterback to pick them up.
DJ Lagway will get the start Saturday against Sanford, with Week 1 starter Graham Mertz sitting after suffering a concussion during last week’s 41-17 bludgeoning against Miami.
Lagway took over during the final three series of a laugher against Miami, going 3-for-6 for 31 yards and an interception. He also added 20 rushing yards on four attempts.
The two-way quarterback starred at Willis High School in Texas, accumulating 74 total touchdowns as a senior, including 16 rushing, while obtaining Max Preps High School Player of the Year honors.
Lagway has previously been compared to Jordan Love as a strong-armed, mobile quarterback who is also more established as a runner.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Florida coach Billy Napier said during Wednesday’s media availability, per CBS.
“DJ’s got a great attitude, obviously. He’s excited and got a chance to play Saturday for the first time in his career. Just to get feedback about that and now understand what it’s like out there as a competitor. So far, so good. I thought he did a lot of good things (Tuesday) and it’s great to see the other players kind of rally around him. But, yeah, it’s definitely a positive for him to be able to take advantage of those reps with the first team.”
The 6-foot-3, 239-pound Lagway was the No. 3 overall prospect, according to 247Sports, and was the top quarterback during the recruiting cycle last season.
Mertz transferred to Florida after four years at Wisconsin.
Florida was non-competitive against Miami despite entering the contest as just 2.5-point underdogs.
They have a chance to right the ship against Samford, where they are expected to roll with ease before another tough matchup against SEC foe Texas A&M.