Can Florida support Aidan Warner? DJ Lagway's injury complicates Billy Napier's chatter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida's quarterback of the future and its quarterback of the past faced off Saturday as the quarterback of the present tried to steal one of the most miraculous victories in program history.

The quarterback of the future, five-star freshman DJ Lagway, watched the North video board from the Gators' sideline at EverBank Stadium. The top-10 recruit clutched a pair of crutches and wore a brace on his left leg after leaving the 34-20 loss to No. 2 Georgia with what head coach Billy Napier called a “pretty significant” soft tissue injury. He couldn't do anything.

The quarterback of the past, sixth-grader Graham Mertz, watched the South video board from a folding chair a few feet away. He had his baseball cap on his head and propped up his left leg as he recovered from the torn ACL that ended his college career three weeks ago at Tennessee. He couldn't do anything either.

And the current quarterback? Yale transfer Aidan Warner watched as a championship-caliber defense continually came after him, but somehow found a way to keep the Gators (4-4, 2-3 SEC) competitive.

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Bowl eligibility and Napier's job could hinge on whether he can do it again next week at No. 6 Texas, if not beyond in a discouraging November.

Lagway's status is uncertain after he went down awkwardly in the second quarter, eight minutes after throwing his second touchdown pass in three career starts. Napier didn't say much about his availability other than that he would have an MRI on Sunday. But it's never a good sign when a bench empties to support a player being carted off the field. The fact that Napier said the Gators would “rally around Warner” seems telling.

Even though Warner's numbers were poor – 7 of 22 passes for 66 yards, no touchdowns and one interception – there is something to lean on because context matters.

Warner didn't play last season after coming to Yale as a three-star recruit from the Orlando suburb of Winter Park. He came to Florida in January but was sidelined in the spring with a knee injury. He recovered and beat former Colorado State starter Clay Millen for third place in preseason camp, but still managed only a few reps. A month ago, as Napier put it, Warner was “standing around eating ice cream” while Mertz and Lagway practiced.

DJ Lagway was the No. 7 recruit in the class of 2024. (Melina Myers / Imagn Images)

Then Mertz went down. Three weeks later, Lagway grabbed the back of his leg after a brief rush on the turf. Warner had to take the first meaningful snaps of his career against the ferocious defense of a bitter rival good enough to win a third national championship in four seasons.

Warner hit Elijhah Badger on third-and-10, setting up the go-ahead field goal attempt in the third quarter. It's not his fault the Gators screwed up.

He found Badger again midway through the fourth quarter for a 26-yard pass to set up a game-winning touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter. It was a ride that had Mertz and Lagway raising their arms to the sky in celebration.

“The best thing about the way he played was that he didn’t flinch,” Gators receiver Chimere Dike said. “He could see it in his eyes that he was out there competing. He will continue to improve.”

He has to do it, assuming Lagway is out for a long time. Florida's defense has improved dramatically since it was torched by Miami and beaten by Texas A&M, and the running game is good enough to give the Gators a chance to salvage a bowl game. But Florida probably can't beat Texas, No. 16 LSU or No. 19 Ole Miss with a one-dimensional offense.

And if the Gators can't win at least one of them — and beat rival Florida State in the finals — Napier's job still appears to be in jeopardy.

As we judge Napier's pivotal third season, it's fair to consider the difficulty of starting a third quarterback. But you can also ask yourself why the Gators are even entitled to an Ivy League transfer.

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The Gators have lost at least seven scholarship players early in Napier's 35 months in charge. It's understandable that Anthony Richardson is leaving early and is one of the top five draft picks in the NFL, but it's only part of the equation:

• Jaden Rashada signed with Napier as a top-100 recruit in the country. He left after a nullity dispute and was on the other sideline on Saturday as a replacement for Georgia, which happens to be suing Napier.

• Emory Jones, the 2021 starter, transferred to Arizona State a week after Napier's first spring.

• Napier newcomer Jack Miller, who started the bowl game in Napier's first year, left the team after last season.

• Four-star freshman Carlos Del-Rio Wilson transferred to Syracuse and made two starts there.

• Napier newcomer Max Brown, who started last year's finale against Florida State, transferred to Charlotte and started the opening game.

• Backup Jalen Kitna was fired after being accused of child pornography, which was later dismissed after a plea deal. He threw for more than 400 yards and six touchdowns in UAB's win over Tulsa on Saturday.

Although adding quarterback depth is nearly impossible in the Portal Era, Napier is responsible for the roster and its turnover. He's also responsible for the results – a record that has fallen to 15-18 overall, 8-13 in the SEC, 1-10 against rivals and 0-3 against the Bulldogs.

There may still be time for him to turn things around. Florida can't win moral victories, but the struggling Gators played Georgia harder than they did in their previous three-touchdown losses under Napier.

“For the first time since I’ve been head coach here, we showed up and believed we could beat this team,” Napier said.

The problem, of course, is that they didn't beat this team. Warner was forced into a bad interception inside the Florida 25 that led to Georgia's final touchdown. A final drive ended with an incompletion, a sack and two more incompletions.

After the last one, neither Mertz nor Lagway reacted much. The quarterback of the future stood up, using his crutches. The quarterback of the past adjusted his knee brace.

Then Warner walked to the sideline to watch the final seconds of the Gators' fourth straight loss in the series, carrying with him the hopes of a position group, a program and its coach.

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(Top photo by Aidan Warner: David Rosenblum / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)