Florida QB DJ Lagway will start in Week 2.
The freshman leads the way ahead of the Gators’ game against Samford on Saturday. Graham Mertz suffered a concussion in the second half of Florida’s Week 1 loss to Miami and remains in concussion protocol.
Lagway replaced Mertz after he was hit on an interception. He played the rest of the game and Florida scored a TD on one of its three possessions.
Lagway was one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 class, according to Rivals. The five-star recruit was the No. 28 overall prospect and No. 7 recruit in the state of Texas. He was also ranked as the nation’s top dual-threat quarterback and one of four quarterbacks overall to earn five-star grades from Rivals.
The other three five-star QB recruits It was Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola and Ohio State QBs Julian Sayin and Air Noland. Raiola was Nebraska’s opening week starter, while Sayin and Noland are backing up Kansas State transfer Will Howard with the Buckeyes.
Mertz is in his final season of eligibility after transferring from Wisconsin ahead of the 2023 season, so Saturday’s game will be a glimpse into what Florida’s future could look like. Lagway completed 3-of-6 passes for 31 yards and an interception in Week 1 and also ran four times for 20 yards. After playing Samford in the FCS, Florida has back-to-back SEC games against Texas A&M and on the road against Mississippi State.