Lagway, the former top QB recruit out of Willis (Texas), has been the steady hand in Gainesville since starter Graham Mertz suffered a torn ACL in Week 7's loss against Tennessee. He guided the Gators back to an overtime loss in Knoxville thanks to a 27-yard touchdown pass to Chimere Dike with less than 30 seconds remaining.

Lagway’s quick release, arm strength and deep-ball accuracy are rare, perhaps unprecedented even at a school with three Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks. The closest comparison might be the man who served as Honorary Mr. Two Bits Saturday, 2001 Heisman runner-up Rex Grossman — the school-record holder with 17 300-yard passing yards.

A bowl game is back on the menu in Gainesville. The return of star freshman quarterback DJ Lagway led to a return to the win column for the Florida Gators, who took care of No. 22

The Gators snapped a five-game losing streak to the No. 22 Tigers and an eight-game skid to ranked opponents to position Florida to earn a bowl bid with two games remaining: a Nov. 23 visit from

DJ Lagway threw for a touchdown and set up another with a long completion in his return from a strained left hamstring, and Florida upset No. 21 LSU 27-16 on Saturday to give the Gators their first series victory since 2018.

Brian Kelly and the No. 21 ranked LSU Tigers continue preparation for a Week 12 Southeastern Conference showdown against the Florida Gators on Saturday afternoo

The Florida Gators cruised to a 26-17 win over the LSU Tigers Saturday in Gainesville, securing a signature win for head coach Billy Napier and pulling the Gators to just one game shy of bowl eligibility at 5-5.