Find out what the sophomore superstar QB had to say in Atlanta about improvements to his game, embracing pressure, becoming a leader, and more.
SEC Media Days: DJ Lagway's Cool Confidence Will Fire Up Gator Nation originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Find out what the sophomore superstar QB had to say in Atlanta about improvements to his game, embracing pressure, becoming a leader, and more.
The last Florida Gators sophomore to enter a football season with this much hype? Tim Tebow. The guy with his own statue in front of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
That was nearly 18 years ago. DJ Lagway was barely two years old.
Fast-forward to 2025. Now, the Florida quarterback is ready not just to dazzle in his first full season as a starter, but to develop into the kind of consummate leader that is sure to have 2027 NFL Draft scouts drooling themselves dehydrated.
We may still be several weeks away from a new season's kickoff, but on Wednesday at the annual SEC Media Days in Atlanta, the Orange and Blue mega-athlete gave a glimpse of what fans can expect this season in the Swamp amid the loftiest expectations of the Billy Napier era.
And if you're a denizen of Gator Nation, prepare to leap through the ceiling.
DJ Lagway is simply that guy.
2025 SEC Media Days: DJ Lagway was poised, thankful, and locked in
Quotations h/t GatorsWire.
He really used the word aura.
When asked by media members about his single best quality as a college quarterback, Lagway didn't name his cannon arm, power-speed combo as a runner, or ability to extend plays with east-to-west escapability. Rather, the Texas native went straight to the intangibles.
"I guess my aura, confidence, and just the way I portray myself on game day," he said. "My teammates always joke around... they say that I'm a totally different person on game day. It kind of oozes out of me."
Aura and ooze? Sounds like something Tim Tebow would say.
So, how does that almost Zen-like confidence square with the weight of colossal expectations following not just Florida's impressive four-game win streak to close the 2024 season, but in light of a merciless 2025 slate full of bluebloods, juggernauts, and Monstar-level defenses?
"I always say that pressure is a privilege. Once you have [that] privilege, that means people are counting on you to do big things," he said.
"I'm always excited when people say 'pressure.' That's why I just love the game day atmosphere, because it feels like all eyes are on you and you've got to put on a show. That's what I'm excited for."
Fortunately, ginning up a sense of excitement won't be the least bit difficult for the potential Heisman Trophy candidate. When he runs out onto the field to face Long Island University on Aug. 30, he'll have 90,000 maniacs exploding in ecstasy as he leads the Mighty Gators out of the tunnel at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field.
They'll hang on every throw, every feint, every truck move, every laser-guided touchdown dart down the sideline to a streaking Wilson (Trey and Dallas), an Aidan Mizell, a J. Michael Sturdivant.
Nice work if you can get it.
"Words can't even explain it, playing in the Swamp. The fans bring it each and every Saturday," Lagway said. "I'm just thankful to be a part of it and [to] be able to be in the Swamp, and they're rooting for us and cheering us and giving us that true advantage."
So, should fans expect simply more of the same electric DJ Lagway they watched last year turn the tide of a season that came perilously close to flying off the rails? When asked about upping his game for year two, the signal-caller once again had all the right moves.
"I'm definitely looking to improve on more coverage recognition and knowing where the defense is going to be," he said, "and truly knowing their responsibilities and also knowing my teammates' responsibilities better."
"My biggest thing last year, I always wanted to get into some kind of flow state. Flow state is where you're just moving, it's just natural, everything happens naturally. That's where I wanted to be at every game."
Call it the First Law of Lagway:
Aura + Ooze + Flow = DJ.
And when it comes to laying down such law this season, from Gainesville to Baton Rouge to Miami to Jacksonville and beyond, Florida fans are ready to crow to all comers that there's a new sheriff in town.
Is it fall yet?
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
