Joel Klatt heightens concerns on DJ Lagway's injuries when ranking Florida in Preseason Top-25

Florida was originally a Top-10 team to Joel Klatt at FOX Sports. However, with the latest out of The Swamp over the past week, the Gators slid several spots by the time of the release of that ranking.

Klatt rated Florida at No. 14 in his Preseason Top-25 during the episode of his show on Monday. That’s four spots down from where he originally had them prior to hearing the injury-related updates still surrounding QB DJ Lagway.

“This is a team that I’ve got to put a little bit of a caveat on, okay,” said Klatt. “So, when I first did this, this team was 10th. Then, news starts trickling out, and you give it a little bit more of a second look and you’re like, man, why, why is there always news about him being banged up? 14 is Florida.”

Reporting is that Lagway is back practicing after dealing with a calf strain that had him in a boot coming into last week to start fall camp. That’s after dealing with a hamstring issue last season as well as a shoulder injury in the spring. That’s all caused questions about Lagway’s durability and, depending on that, what effect that could have on Florida while he’s their quarterback if he’s unhealthy or, at times, even unavailable.

Again, Lagway is the difference for the Gators. To Klatt, being with or without him is the separation between who Florida was to start last season and who Florida was to end last season, which was a team that turned it around to win five of their final seven and posed real competition with upsets of LSU and Ole Miss and who had a real shot at beating Georgia.

“I think Florida is unbelievable – maybe not unbelievable. I think that they’re really good. They’re a borderline great team. And this DJ Lagway, like, injury-prone offseason for Billy Napier has me concerned,” said Klatt. “They went 8-5 a year ago, won their final four. They beat LSU, Ole Miss, FSU, Tulane. Like, they had it going a little bit. But then, all of a sudden, you look up and it’s like, well, if Lagway is not healthy? Now I don’t love what they’re doing. If he’s healthy then I love them. They’re a Top-10 team.”

“Look at it this way. If Lagway is out there like he was a year ago, they’re a Top-10 team. They went 6-1 last year when he started football games. And, the one loss, he left the game, after an early, first-half injury, in which they had the lead over Georgia, okay,” Klatt said. “So, if Lagway is healthy? Top-10 team. If he’s not? The schedule is brutal.”

Florida, paired with Lagway becoming the starter and a roster that got better as the season went on, figured it out against another very difficult schedule last year. Now, in order to be this level of team this fall, Florida will have to do it, with Lagway healthy, early on in the season in September and into October while also having to close well in November with their half of their slate being featured in the Top-25 for Klatt.

“They’ve got a four-game stretch where, if Lagway is healthy for this four-game stretch in September and October, they’ve got a chance. But, if not? Yikes. They might lose all four of these. This is September and October, four-game stretch – at LSU, at Miami, Texas at home, at A&M,” said Klatt. “Then, later in the year, they still have Georgia, at Ole Miss, and Tennessee. Again, brutal schedule, brutal schedule. If he’s healthy, they can manage it. If he’s not, then they can’t.”

The health of DJ Lagway has become a major storyline in college football coming into this season, especially if it were to continue on into his second year. It’s now really all that matters at Florida now too with what they could be assuming he’s there to be the quarterback of this team.

“That’s the bottom line with Florida,” stated Klatt. “I love their roster. Napier has done a heck of a job.”