Joey Galloway breaks down what DJ Lagway did wrong vs. LSU, urgency to earn trust back

After finishing last season strong, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway hasn’t been able to find his footing in the 2025 campaign. During Friday’s episode of College Football Countdown, ESPN analyst Joey Galloway weighed in on Lagway’s recent struggles.

“He’s a kid that hasn’t played a ton of football, but you get these situations against teams like LSU,” Galloway said. “… He’s just trying to do too much. He’s throwing the ball into situations where he’s trying to make a play. You get behind in these games as a quarterback and, all of a sudden, you think that with your arm, you could bring the team all the way back, and he just made a bunch of bad decisions.

“His team needs him to step up. And in these situations, your team will be looking at you. As the defense is going on the field and you’re coming off the field, they will look at you in disgust. So, he needs to prove something to himself and, more importantly, to his team, that he can be a guy that can help them win.”

Lagway’s performance in Florida’s 20-10 loss to LSU last week was the worst of his career. The sophomore QB completed 33-of-his-49 pass attempts for 287 yards and a touchdown, but threw a career-high five interceptions in the process.

For reference, DJ Lagway threw a combined four interceptions in his final four starts of the 2024 season. On Monday, Florida head coach Billy Napier discussed Lagway’s lackluster performance.

“We need to find a way to play with more consistency on offense going forward,” Napier said. “I think I’m always of the opinion that if the student struggles on the test, as a teacher you need to take a good look in the mirror, and for me that’s what it’s about. So, I’ve got to do a better job helping DJ in that regard.”

“… It is what it is at this point. We’ve seen him at his best and then we’ve seen him struggle. I think the important part is we try to get him back to where he can play winning football, which we know he’s very capable of.”

Lagway has shown he can lead the Gators to wins. Last season, he guided Florida to back-to-back wins over LSU and Ole Miss, both of which were ranked at the time.

On Saturday, Lagway will look to recapture this success as Florida squares off against No. 4 Miami at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ABC.