GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Injured Florida quarterback DJ Lagway worked for staffers who “felt good about what we saw,” coach Billy Napier said.
“Does that mean he’s 100%? Soft tissue is a very subjective issue,” said Napier, who added that he anticipated Lagway would practice.
Lagway was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. He strained his left hamstring during a 3-yard run in the second quarter. He returned to the sideline in the second half with his legged wrapped and using crutches.
Tests revealed Lagway’s injury to be “less significant” than initially feared, and Napier said there was a path that would allow the highly touted freshman to play again this season. Lagway was able to get some work during individual drills in practice and even warmed up before a 49-17 loss to the Longhorns.
The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) could use him against LSU (6-3, 3-2), which has won five in a row in the series. Florida needs to win two of its final three games to become bowl eligible.
Napier is already without starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who had season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee.
Without Lagway, Napier turned to walk-on Aidan Warner. The Yale transfer has completed 19 of 47 passes for 198 yards, with no touchdowns and three interceptions the last two weeks.
Napier said he never considered switching to fourth-stringer Clay Millen, who spent the past two seasons at Colorado State after a year at Nevada.
“We were very aware of what was happening,” Napier said. “It wasn’t necessarily Aidan as much as just in general. I think we can play better around him at times. And it is what it is at that point. You can only get so many people ready to play.”
