Florida QB DJ Lagway is throwing 70 passes a day while rehabbing a strained calf

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is throwing 70 passes a day while working his way back from a strained left calf.

Coach Billy Napier said Monday that Lagway is “on schedule” with his rehab but will remain “modifed for a while” in practice. The sophomore who went 6-1 in seven starts last season sat out Saturday’s scrimmage and has yet to take part in 11-on-11 team drills.

The 15th-ranked Gators open the season Aug. 30 against Long Island University.

“His workload is high,” Napier said. “It’s just not with a pass rush, you know? We’re controlling the environment, trying to take care of him from a soft-tissue standpoint.”

Lagway strained a calf muscle while running with teammates a week before the Gators opened training camp. It was the latest injury for the Heisman Trophy hopeful who missed spring practice with a shoulder injury after undergoing sports hernia surgery.

Florida’s star player also was limited last fall with shoulder soreness and slowed in November because of a strained left hamstring.

“Any football player would be better off taking the reps,” Napier said. “The key is to be creative in terms of how we format practice, format the walkthrough. We’ve got to maximize all the mental reps, the process reps, the communication reps.

“It’s not ideal. That’s the way I’ve tried put it in the past, and I still kind of stand by that. In a perfect world, he’d be 100% and taking every single rep. But he’s not able to do that.”

The silver lining: Lagway’s absence has allowed the Gators to get a better look at three QBs vying for the backup job. And freshman Tramell Jones Jr. has been so impressive that he’s now pushing returner Aidan Warner and college journeyman Harrison Bailey for the spot behind Lagway.

Napier called Jones’ performance “buzz worthy.”

“He’s still got to operate much quicker, got to process quicker, communicate better under the gun and the play clock, his ability to manage the problems as they arise. All those things need to improve,” Napier said. “But he throws a really good ball. He’s very accurate. He’s got arm talent, and I think he’s a smart kid.”

Lagway completed 60% of his passes for 1,915 yards, with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2024. He took over the starting role after Graham Mertz tore a knee ligament at Tennessee in October.

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