There was a time last season when Billy Napier walked on a tight rope. He was just one faulty season away from losing his job as the Florida Gators’ head coach. But it just took him one player and one game to flip the script. Thanks to his quarterback, DJ Lagway, who came up with a blockbuster feat at the Swamp on September 7. Taking up Graham Mertz’s place, who suffered from an upper-body injury during his fight against Miami, Lagway stunned the crowd, reaching a career milestone as early as the third quarter.Napier’s quarterback racked up 31 yards. Then came his second game against Samford, where he scored 456 yards and 3 touchdowns. As the heat of Napier’s seat cooled down, moving into the 2025 season, Lagway has already picked up the NFL attention. NFL Rookie Watch reported, “One NFL scout reportedly believes Lagway is one of the ‘scariest built’ QB prospects to ever play the game.” However, the NFL can wait. As of now, Napier needs to worry about the bumpy ride that awaits Lagway in the 2025 season. NCAA, College League, USA Football: Florida Spring Game Apr 12, 2025 Gainesville, FL, USA Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway 2 looks to throw before the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Gainesville Ben Hill Griffin Stadium FL USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMattxPendletonx 20250412_sjb_ee7_034On the June 16th episode of the Always College Football with Greg McElroy podcast, a fan came up with a question for the host, Greg McElroy. It read, “What are the best and worst case scenarios for the Florida Gators this season?” The analyst chose to start with the worst-case scenario for Napier and co. “The worst case scenario is that DJ Lagway, who had an offseason shoulder injury, who has been limited throughout spring, is on a pitch count currently. The worst-case scenario is that he’s not at 100%. The worst case scenario is that he’s not available every single week throughout the season.”He added, “If those things don’t happen that’s a huge problem. I don’t think this team can overcome an injury at quarterback like they were able to overcome last year. Graham Mertz got hurt, DJ Lagway went right in, and they finished with the bang. They had great momentum going into the offseason as a result of the play that DJ Lagway provided, that’s number one.” Yes, all that we are used to listening to about Lagway are good things. Be it his Heisman hype or getting the NFL attention. But here is the real deal. Lagway was an extremely limited participant in the Gators’ spring practice, not even throwing in most of spring. With this, he lost an opportunity for crucial reps ahead of a make-or-break season for Napier. The quarterback’s shoulder (and the rest of his body) must be healthy for the Gators to live up to expectations this year. McElroy came up with another reality check for Napier’s Gators. That’s the schedule. Last year, they were somehow able to keep the boat afloat in the rough sea. But the analyst sounded an alarm, “But this year they have one of the hardest schedules in college football. Not only do you have to play an SEC schedule that includes eight games against quality teams like Georgia. You’re playing LSU, you play against Tennessee, you have you play against Texas, you have a brutal schedule and by season’s end it might start to take its toll and if the roster isn’t prepared for the grind that this season and the schedule could provide that could be a huge problem.” Moving into 2025, Napier will have no time to catch his breath. As per the College Football News, the Florida Gators have the toughest strength of schedule ahead of the 2025 season. The Gators check in at the top spot with a 343.5 strength of schedule rating. They are now staring down a brutal 2025 schedule loaded with SEC heavyweights and marquee matchups. On the road, Napier and co. will have to face off against LSU and Miami. And then comes October, which features a home clash with Texas and trips to Texas A&M and Georgia. The hustle and bustle continues with fights against Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Tennessee, before they close the season against rival FSU. Does that mean Napier must start worrying about losing his chair? But their proud alumnus does not think so. Former Florida quarterback’s vote of confidence for Billy Napier’s 2025 chapterIf Napier needs to worry about his quarterback, Lagway, the coaching roster, too, is not giving him any respite. In June, they lost their GameChanger coordinator, Chris Couch, to the Houston Cougars. The staffer had played a key role in Gainesville. He led Napier’s special teams units from 2022-23 until splitting the role with Joe Houston in 2024. However, there have been setbacks too in Couch’s stint. Napier’s squad had been plagued by untimely penalties, not having enough players on the field, and having too many players on the field.While the head coach was still recovering from the loss of his staffer, here came some praise from former Gators quarterback Rex Grossman. While McElroy doubts the Gators’ 2025 chapter, he called the 2025 season “pivotal” for Napier. “I don’t think he’s on the hot seat, but I definitely think it’s pivotal for his career at Florida to have one of those seasons you can bank on. Yes, I’ve got a great team, we’ve recruited well, and now we’ve performed well from the start to the finish. We want the fanbase excited, boosters excited, AD excited. Everyone continues this momentum that we’ve had.” Now, which momentum is Grossman talking about? The victories that Billy Napier’s boys came up with against LSU, Ole Miss, their road win over rival Florida State, and a bowl win over Tulane. While the pressure is on to emulate a 2024 chase 2.0, Napier is now busy securing his seat. The Gators are coming off their first top-10 class under Napier in the 2025 cycle after an 8-5 finish last season. As the head coach steps into his fourth season, this is by far the best output. He also sounded confident about the growth Lagway has been making by racking up 210 passes a week. “We’re doing exactly what we would do this time of year that we’ve done in the past. So he’s on schedule.” Here’s hoping Napier and his QB stay grounded in grit, not just glory, and craft a game plan no rival can decode.The post Billy Napier Warned of DJ Lagway Misfortune After Hot Seat Debate Gets Dismissed appeared first on EssentiallySports.