Billy Gonzales addresses Florida’s quarterback plan for Ole Miss

As the Florida Gators head into their final games of the regular season, eyes will be on the quarterback position going forward. That’s due to the usual starter, DJ Lagway, being pulled from the blowout loss to Kentucky in the third quarter of that contest. True freshman quarterback Tramell Jones entered the game and remained the quarterback until the end. The Florida Gators hit the road again this coming weekend against Ole Miss. The biggest question remaining is, who will be the starter against the Rebels?

Florida Gators Football Coaching Hot Board
Join Gators Online for ONLY $1 today!

The Florida Gators have an idea of who the starter will be

Florida Gators interim head coach Billy Gonzales met with the media on Monday. One of the first questions directed his way was, Who will be the starting quarterback this weekend in Oxford. There’s obviously a full week of practice left for the Orange and Blue until kickoff this weekend. That gives Gonzales and the staff a few more days to fully decide on the plans. However, to start the week, it’s going to be business as usual with Lagway getting the starting reps.

“Right now in my mind, he’s going to take 1 reps when we go out to practice [Monday],” Florida Gators interim head coach Billy Gonzales said during his weekly press conference. “But again, competition is great for everybody.”

On the season to date, Lagway has completed 171 of 265 passes (65%), 1762 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, but also has 12 interceptions. Florida’s offense has struggled this season, and Lagway’s turnover problems are certainly one of the top issues among that group.

Sign up for the Gators Online Newsletter today!

Billy Gonzales on the limited performance of Tramell Jones

The appearance in Lexington this past weekend was the second game action for Florida freshman quarterback Tramell Jones. With UF’s offense sputtering, Jones entered in the third quarter of the game. He ended with 60 passing yards and completed 9 of 17 passes. It was only a small window to view, and the game was already well out of hand when Jones entered, but Coach Gonzales felt there were some good things that he saw.

“I thought he did a fantastic job,” Gonzales said of Jones’ performance. “That was his first SEC play. To get out there and getting a chance to take the team, lead the team. A learning experience for him. Just like I said, for DJ to get a chance to refocus on the sideline and look and see from a different point of view. I think it’s always going to be best, and you’re going to put yourself in a position to be better by getting reps. That was his chance to get some reps in a game situation, and it will continue that way over his time here at the University of Florida.”

That appearance was Jones’ second of the season. With the Florida Gators without a full-time head football coach and the season nearing its end, there will be players who begin to think about redshirting to preserve their eligibility. The Gators already had wide receiver Tank Hawkins opt out for the remainder of the season. However, Gonzlaes said there aren’t any other known names planning to do that. Florida’s staff is going to consider any decisions to redshirt into their plans at quarterback.

“I know those discussions have been spoken to with our quarterback coach, the front office, and his parents,” Gonzales said of Jones. “That’s definitely something to track and monitor for where we’re at.”