DJ Lagway’s Florida is coming off a 38-7 road game loss against Kentucky last weekend. With the loss, the Gators fell 3-6 in the 2025 season, including a 2-4 record in the Southeastern Conference.
However, the most notable takeaway from the Kentucky game was that Lagway was benched in favor of a freshman, Tramell Jones. To make things worse, interim head coach Billy Gonzales has not even confirmed whether Lagway will retain the starting quarterback role in the upcoming game.
DJ Lagway Gets No Clear Message For Starting Role in the Ole Miss Game
With back-to-back losses against Georgia and Kentucky, Florida is going to face Lane Kiffin’s mighty Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday. The Rebels hold a 9-1 record this season, making it an even tougher challenge for the Gators to snap their losing streak.
In an effort to keep up with Kiffin’s squad, Gonzales is even considering a quarterback competition this week, meaning freshman Tramell Jones Jr. can again see action in the Ole Miss game.
“There’s competition everywhere, and there should be competition,” Gonzales said on Monday.
Florida turned to Jones in the second half of the Kentucky loss after benching Lagway, who completed only 11 of 19 passes for 83 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. The situation might be disappointing for Lagway, who entered the year with top-10 Heisman Trophy odds, leading a Florida team that was once eyeing a playoff run.
Gonzales mentioned that he spoke with Lagway about the benching decision.
“We were struggling,” Gonzales said. “He was having a tough time, but it’s not all on him, and I told him that. As a coach, it’s our responsibility, if someone’s struggling, take them out so they don’t have to keep fighting through that.”
“I told him, ‘I know we’re not Major League Baseball, but you’ve got an amazing amount of talent. You’re a great quarterback. But just like in baseball, if a pitcher’s struggling, what do you do? You get the next guy in. It doesn’t mean he’s not a great pitcher. It just means it wasn’t his day.”
However, Gonzales also confirmed that Lagway would still take first-team reps in practice on Monday.
Lagway missed much of the offseason recovering from core muscle surgery, arm pain, and a strained left calf. He has thrown for 1,762 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Unfortunately, he also leads the nation with 12 interceptions, while his 5.7% turnover-worthy throw rate ranks as the fourth-worst among 107 qualified quarterbacks.
Heading into the Florida vs. Ole Miss game, the Gators sit at No. 133 in PFSN’s CFB Overall Impact metrics, while the Rebels hold the No. 71 spot.
