CFB Analyst Reveals One Way DJ Lagway Set Himself Apart

CFB Analyst Reveals One Way DJ Lagway Set Himself Apart originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway started his first game for the team against Samford and threw for 456 passing yards and three touchdowns.

He would not start again until later in the year after Graham Mertz's season was ended by an ACL tear he suffered in the 23-17 overtime loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.

There was one thing that made Lagway stand out to On3's JD PicKell on a recent episode of "The Hard Count." PicKell pointed out how composed the young quarterback looked at certain key moments for Florida in 2024.

Lagway had 1,915 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 games with seven starts.

"To me, it's not just the action figure stuff, it's the composure that this guy showed at different, critical spots last year for Florida," PicKell said. "Remember, when he got the keys to the offense at Florida, Florida was not rocking offensively."

One instance where PicKell believed Lagway demonstrated composure well was in the dying seconds of the Tennessee Game. Lagway threaded an incredible pass to Chimere Dike at Neyland Stadium to make it 17-17.

"That game against Tennessee, I think, tells us everything we need to know about how this guy's wired," PicKell said. "…3rd and 18, Neyland's rocking. Down by 7, 38 seconds and counting. Snaps the ball. Steps up in the pocket. Feels the rush. Throws an absolute laser to Chimere Dike, ties up the game. That's not true freshman kinda stuff. To be making plays like that in that spot, against that opponent, in that stadium. I don't care if Florida lost that game. That says to me this dude's gonna be a problem for the foreseeable future if he can stay healthy."

PicKell also mentioned how some of the throws Lagway made as a true freshman looked action figure-ish. Lagway showed that he can be a leader for Florida last season, too, voicing frustrations about Billy Napier being on the hot seat ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Lagway leads his team against Long Island in the season opener on August 30. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and SEC Network+.

Related: Florida Predicted to Land No. 1 OT From Georgia

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.