College GameDay considers how DJ Lagway impacts decision on Billy Napier’s future

College GameDay’s Pete Thamel and Rece Davis considered the impact of DJ Lagway on Florida head coach Billy Napier’s future with the school. At 1-1, Florida is in a precarious spot after a loss to USF at home over the weekend.

Napier is just 20-20 in three-plus seasons and Lagway is a tantalizing QB talent that’s dealt with injuries. Simply put, it hasn’t worked out so far.

But there are questions of Lagway being chosen over the coach. Both Thamel and Davis questioned if Florida would fire Napier in order to keep Lagway, if that were an option.

“If you fire Billy Napier, do you risk losing DJ Lagway? He was very clear about his fidelity towards him,” Thamel said on The College GameDay Podcast. “That’s certainly something you talk about before you make the decision, but I do think that’s interesting, right? Like, oh, you’re gonna start over and whoever you’re bringing in now, they can get their own guy. They can go find a John Mateer or whatever. I think DJ Lagway is pretty special still. So I just think it’s really interesting.”

In 14 career games, Lagway has 2,257 yards, 16 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 63% completion percentage. While last year had its moments for Florida, Napier and Lagway, it’s not up to snuff.

So in the end, does the Florida administration choose a QB for one year over multiple for Napier? Do they both return or both exit?

“I hope Billy Napier gets out of it,” Davis said of Napier getting out of a rut. “I think Billy Napier is a good coach. I think he can win in the SEC. They’ve got to stop having these moments. But whether it’s Billy Napier and DJ Lagway or anybody else, if an athletic director makes a coaching decision based on a player, you are doing it wrong. Whether DJ Lagway stays in Florida should have zero, less than zero, to do with whether you’re keeping the coach. Lagway’s a star. There’s no question about that. I think he’s going to be a great NFL player as long as he’s in college … 

“It’s only a year or two, you cannot make these decisions based on the whim of a player, or I won’t even say whim, that’s unfair to DJ. The decision of a player and the finite period of time during college, it is a massive mistake to decide what you’re doing with a coaching future based on what one single player might do.”