DJ Lagway breaks Florida's freshman passing record in his debut

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Highly touted freshman DJ Lagway threw for 456 yards and three touchdowns in his first collegiate appearance, and Florida defeated underclassman Samford 45-7 on Saturday, giving controversial coach Billy Napier a brief respite after the season-opening debacle.

Lagway completed his first seven passes while filling in for Graham Mertz (concussion), showing why he was widely considered the best quarterback recruit in the country last year. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Texan completed six passes that went for at least 30 yards – something the Gators (1-1) managed just 14 times last season.

“He is what we thought he was,” Napier said.

Lagway connected with Elijhah Badger for 77 yards. He hit Chimere Dike and Hayden Hansen for 44 and 40 yards, respectively. He found the speedy Tank Hawkins on the run for a 36-yard touchdown. He connected with Aidan Mizell for a 41-yard touchdown. And his shovel pass to Eugene Wilson III turned into an 85-yard touchdown that capped an electrifying performance in the swamp.

“They're just right,” said Napier. “It's impressive.”

Lagway broke the school record for most passing yards by a freshman, surpassing Chris Leak's mark of 268 yards set against Kentucky in 2003.

Although it came against the underdog Bulldogs (0-2) – 38-point underdogs from the Football Championship Subdivision – Lagway's performance should at least give Napier pause when it comes to determining playing time at the important position going forward. After all, Lagway has done things Mertz hasn't done since transferring from Wisconsin two years ago.

“My mindset was to take my chance, go out there and compete with some great players around me,” Lagway said.

The Gators led 21-0 after Lagway threw a perfectly placed pass to Hawkins in the end zone. The score could have been even more lopsided had freshman running back Jaden Baugh not fumbled the ball early at the goal line.

Samford, which scared the Gators in the Swamp in 2021, avoided a shutout thanks to a 75-yard touchdown drive in the third inning.

By this point, Florida fans had seen enough of Lagway to chant his name. And now Napier has a decision to make: Should he go back to Mertz or give a frustrated fan base a glimmer of hope after what looked like a terrible season just a week ago?

Miami, then ranked No. 19, beat the Gators 41-17 in Week 1 in Gainesville, a loss that prompted fans to clamor for Napier's firing. Napier made it worse two days later by referring to critics as “what some guy in his basement in rural central Florida says on social media.”

Nobody has to sit in the front row of the swamp to realize that Lagway is something special.

He completed 18 of 25 passes and stayed in the game despite being caught twice while holding on. Wilson finished with six catches for 141 yards, Badger caught three passes for 123 yards and Montrell Johnson ran 15 times for 67 yards and two scores.

But the evening was all about Lagway.

“Oh man, I love this kid,” said defensive end Tyreak Sapp. “I knew he was going to have a great night just by the way he worked and the way he carried himself. He acts like a starting quarterback. I wasn't even surprised, to be honest.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article.