Billy Napier fires back at question on if Aidan Warner, Harrison Bailey could get reps over DJ Lagway

There are bad games and then there is throwing five interceptions in Death Valley on a Saturday night. The latter is what Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier watched his star quarterback DJ Lagway battle through in Week 3.

With the Gators now sitting at 1-2 and the offense sputtering under Lagway, Napier was asked if there was a chance backup quarterbacks Aidan Warner or Harrison Bailey could get first-team reps. It was a question that quickly garnered pushback from the embattled head coach. In particular, he took issue with the idea that someone else might offer more experience.

“So, give the third and the fourth guy reps?” Billy Napier said. “Aidan has more experience than DJ? No, he doesn’t. I think you’d probably be hard-pressed to add up Harrison’s reps. They’d probably be less than DJ. So, that’s not a very good question. Tramell Jones is the backup quarterback. Alright?”

Aidan Warner came to Florida ahead of the 2024 season as a transfer from Yale. He started last season against Texas, but struggled in that game. For the season, he’d complete just 42 percent of his passes for 228 yards and three interceptions. Then Harrison Bailey has made stops at Tennessee, UNLV, and Louisville. At each stop, he was consistently a backup quarterback.

The quarterback who Billy Napier pointed out is actually the second-string option would be Tramell Jones. A four-star recruit in the Class of 2025, he’s a true freshman who also lacks much experience. So, instead, Napier argued the focus needs to be on finding a way to make sure that DJ Lagway plays better.

“Let’s focus on what we can do from a technical perspective to help the kid play better. Okay? Next question,” Napier concluded.

DJ Lagway came to Florida as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024. He was also the third-ranked recruit and the top-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle. After an injury to Graham Mertz, he would help spark the Gators in the second half of the season. However, he would be hampered throughout the offseason by injuries, keeping Lagway from practicing as much as anyone at Florida would have liked.

Through three games in 2025, Lagway is completing 71 percent of his passes for 629 yards and five touchdowns to six interceptions. He’s also rushed for 31 yards. During that time, Florida’s only win came against FCS level LIU. That game is also when Lagway threw three of his touchdowns, meaning he’s thrown two touchdowns and six interceptions against FBS opponents.

Florida is looking to bounce back this week, but they’re up against another tough game as they travel to South Florida to take on the Miami Hurricanes. In total, the Gators are facing a stretch of three straight games against teams currently ranked in the Top 10 of the AP Poll.