Florida’s season took a hard turn with the upset loss to an unranked Oklahoma team at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, dropping the Gators to 5-4 and wiping out any realistic playoff path. But while that door has closed, Brett McMurphy’s latest CFB bowl projections opened another one that would make for a strange and very watchable storyline.
McMurphy has Florida lined up against Baylor, which would mean a reunion with DJ Lagway, the former Gators quarterback now leading the Bears.
The setup is hard to miss. Lagway arrived at Florida as a five-star prospect out of Willis, Texas, ranked No. 3 in the country by 247Sports and billed as the highest-rated quarterback to land in Gainesville since Jeff Driskel. His first start hinted at exactly why the hype followed him: 456 passing yards and three touchdowns against Samford.
His first real stretch as the starter came after Graham Mertz tore his ACL against Tennessee. Lagway stepped in the next week and helped Florida beat Kentucky, then finished his freshman season with four straight wins.
That run included victories over No. 22 LSU and No.
9 Ole Miss.
He also delivered in bowl season, helping Florida beat Tulane 33-8. Tulane was coached at the time by current Florida coach Jon Sumrall.
The following year was supposed to be the one where Lagway proved he belonged among the SEC’s top quarterbacks. Instead, the offseason was clouded by a shoulder injury, and once the season started, he never looked fully right. Florida entered the year ranked No. 13 and then stumbled immediately, losing 18-16 to South Florida on a late field goal by Nico Gramatica.
From there, the season unraveled. Lagway showed flashes when everything was clicking, but the lows were brutal, including a five-interception game against LSU. Florida finished 4-8, and the coach who had backed Lagway, Napier, was gone.
When Sumrall took over in Gainesville, Lagway moved on too, leaving orange and blue for green and gold and signing with the same school his father, Derek Lagway Sr., attended.
His Baylor stint has had its own swings. The Bears opened with a loss to Auburn, and Lagway injured his ankle in that game while struggling through it.
The season kept sliding until Baylor coach Dave Aranda was fired midseason. Now Baylor sits at 6-3 after a 42-31 win over Iowa State.
If McMurphy’s projection holds, Florida and Lagway could end up sharing a bowl stage after all.
In Other News...
Florida Just Proved Something Bigger Than Another Win Over FSU
Floridas 81-72 win over Florida State did more than keep the early-season record spotless. It showed a team that can win in different ways, even when the offense is clunky for long stretches. The Gators were out of rhythm in the first half, but they found enough shot-making from deep and at the line to take control after halftime and move to 3-0, while also stretching their winning streak over the Seminoles to six straight.
Thomas Haugh led the way with 21 points, and Boogie Fland added 14 after returning from an injury scare, a reassuring development for a Florida team still sorting out its early identity. The bigger takeaway may be the way the Gators finished, turning a shaky start into a comfortable result against a rivalry opponent and giving themselves another sign that this group has some resilience before the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Offense Has A Problem Tramell Jones Didnt Dodge
After the loss to Oklahoma, Tramell Jones Jr. did not try to dress up Floridas offensive issues. The Gators quarterback pointed to the kind of self-inflicted problems that have been dragging drives off schedule, especially penalties and turnovers, and said the unit has to be better about sustaining momentum when it gets a chance to build it.
Jones also took responsibility for a costly interception and said Florida needs more consistency from the running game if it wants to finish possessions the right way. The emphasis now is on cleaner execution, better red-zone results and using the final three games to tighten things up through practice and film study, with Jones still sounding confident the offense can respond. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Gets An Early Shot With A 5-Star Line Target
Florida is getting in early on one of the most coveted young linemen in the country. Kendrick Harris, a five-star offensive tackle from Duncanville, Texas, has picked up a scholarship offer from the Gators, and the class of 2028 prospect already carries the kind of national attention that usually comes with much older recruits. Rated as the top interior offensive lineman in his class, Harris is already on the radar of major programs across the country.
The next step in that pursuit will come when Harris visits Gainesville for Floridas home game against Vanderbilt on Nov. 21. For the Gators, the timing matters as much as the offer itself, giving them a chance to make an impression early while the race for a player with multiple Power Four options is still taking shape. In a recruiting cycle this young, getting him on campus is only the start, but it is the kind of start Florida wants with a prospect of this caliber. [Read more 🡒]