Rex Grossman names next step, key hurdle for Florida QB DJ Lagway

Heading into the 2025 season, the conventional wisdom is that Florida will go as quarterback DJ Lagway goes. That’s how it went last fall, when Lagway took over for the injured Graham Mertz.

The Gators were a different team with Lagway running the show. And he wasn’t even healthy for much of it, nursing a hamstring injury after his second start of the season.

Expectations for DJ Lagway run the gamut. Some see him as a Heisman Trophy contender. Others see him as a guy that still needs to get more experience under his belt.

Former Florida quarterback Rex Grossman knows how to evaluate the position, though. And in a recent interview with CardPlayer.com, he went in-depth on what he’d like to see from the second-year starter.

“I just want to see him get even better with all this confidence, knowing that he can play in this league,” Grossman said of DJ Lagway. “He knows he can play in the SEC at a high level, and there’s nobody they can’t beat. Use that all offseason to shoot for the stars.”

Lagway should certainly feel that way after knocking off a pair of top-25 teams late last year. First it was No. 22 LSU, then it was No. 9 Ole Miss. Throw in a decisive win over rival Florida State and a bowl win over Tulane and it was four straight wins to end the year.

“All the potential is right there for him,” Grossman said. “It’s such an amazing fanbase, university. Obviously we’re going to have a tough schedule every year, but it starts with the quarterback, and we’ve got one.”

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Florida’s schedule will indeed be daunting. Road trips to LSU and Miami come in the first month of the season. Then there are games against Texas, at Texas A&M and against Georgia at a neutral site. A road trip to Ole Miss, then home dates with Tennessee and Florida State close things out.

DJ Lagway will undoubtedly be feeling some pressure. Grossman explained that even when he had that pressure, the key was not trying to do too much.

“I definitely felt a little more pressure, felt like I maybe put too much pressure on myself to do things, rather than just being more of a facilitator,” Grossman said. “Things didn’t work out great, but they worked out all right.”

If DJ Lagway can handle the pressure, things should work out all right for coach Billy Napier and company. The Gators haven’t had a season with more than eight wins since 2019, but that’ll certainly be the goal in 2025.