DJ Lagway Compliments Billy Napier’s Florida Offense: ‘He Knows His Players’

If anyone else is going to call plays for Florida’s offense next season, it would be news to DJ Lagway. Lagway, the quarterback and crown jewel of Florida’s 2024 recruiting class, anticipates Gators head coach Billy Napier holding onto the responsibilities despite abundant social media rumors proposing UF will hire a new offensive play-caller in the early days of the team’s offseason. “From what I know, coach Napier will 100% call the plays,” Lagway told reporters at the Under Armour All-America Game media day event on Friday.

Napier, who also coaches quarterbacks for UF, suggested that offensive operational changes could be under consideration during the Early Signing Period, after Florida had dismissed defensive assistants Sean Spencer and Corey Raymond and reassigned director of strength and conditioning Mark Hocke earlier in December. It was unclear to Napier at that time, though, if adjustments to the offensive coaching staff would be necessary, such as bringing on an independent play-caller to improve a unit that ranked No. 9 in scoring (28.4 points per game) in the Southeastern Conference last season. “It’s to be determined. Much like we discussed before, we’re in the middle of that,” Napier said on Dec. 20, regarding his evaluation of Florida’s offensive staff. “We’re going to go through — it’s one box at a time here, right?”

Florida’s offensive coordinator title is technically held by UF offensive line coach Rob Sale, whose contract with the program is due to expire on Jan. 31, 2024. So are the contracts of running backs coach Jabbar Juluke and co-offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton. Whether Napier retains these assistants and maintains the Gators’ current offensive approach or not, Lagway believes his development is in the right hands. Having been recruited by Napier and Co. to Florida since March 2022, he’s had a front-row seat to observe Anthony Richardson’s first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft and Graham Mertz’s efficient performance under the head coach’s tutelage at UF over the last two seasons.

“I feel like he changes things. Like, it’s different from when Anthony Richardson played and Graham Mertz,” Lagway explained about Napier’s play-calling versatility. “He knows his players. So I feel like, it’s not like a glove fitting, he can change it to the quarterback’s capabilities and disadvantages.” Napier leaned on Richardson’s dynamic athleticism to create a three-headed rushing attack in 2022, pairing him with running backs Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne to garner over 2,200 yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground. Appreciating the quarterback’s strong arm, Napier dialed up a vertical passing scheme with Richardson’s average target depth of 11.5 yards, per Pro Football Focus, the sixth-highest mark among 82 qualifying FBS passers that year. Mertz, meanwhile, had a career year under Napier following his offseason transfer from Wisconsin, where he started for three campaigns. He set single-season highs with a 72.9% completion rate, 2,903 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2023, all while tossing a mere three interceptions.

“[Napier is] adjusting for the players instead of letting the player adjust to his system,” Lagway expressed. “That’s what I like about it.” All eyes will be on the offense Napier crafts for Lagway in his eventual his orange and blue debut, as the Willis (Texas) High class of 2024 product will be the first consensus five-star quarterback to enroll at Florida since Jeff Driskel in 2011.