Billy Napier spotlights DJ Lagway's resiliency, injury recovery after LSU upset

Billy Napier had plenty of rumors swirling around his job early in the 2024 season. But he staved off all the questions and now the Florida Gators currently sit at 5-5 overall, after his squad defeated the No. 21 ranked (AP Poll) LSU Tigers (27-16) on Saturday night. That’s after facing one of the hardest schedules in the nation and dealing with a number of critical injuries.

Shortly after his team’s big win on Saturday night, Napier spoke with the ABC sideline reporter.

“Let me tell you something. As a coach, it’s always been about purpose. The players are the purpose, right? For them to experience the gratification. Now, these guys have been an incredible example of the intangibles that we want our team to be about. The way they’ve stuck together. Obviously, a ton of adversity,” Napier explained.

“But it’s a resilient group. And they care about each other. That was a team win. That was a complementary, all phases. It’s awesome to see those guys experience the success. It’s all the hard work that they put in,” Napier continued.

Speaking of resiliency, what did Napier see in freshman quarterback DJ Lagway this week? “I think the guy wanted to play last week. We felt like we were doing what was right by him. He didn’t miss a rep all week. The training staff did a great job. You know, he was probably 85 percent tonight, but played from within the pocket,” Napier continued.

Lagway completed 13 of his 26 passes for 226 yards, while tossing in a touchdown and no interceptions.

“A lot we can do better. Hats off to the entire team. I thought we played complementary football. The defense was outstanding. And man, it was electric in here tonight,” Napier finished in the postgame interview on the field.

Florida will finish their regular season off with the Ole Miss Rebels and the Florida State Seminoles.