DJ Lagway's nine interception stat divides CFB world over Florida Gator's potential

The college football world appears to be split down the middle about Florida quarterback DJ Lagway. He got a tremendous opportunity as a freshman last season.

After an injury to Graham Mertz, Lagway received significant starter time for the Gators. He passed for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. During the "Andy & Ari On3" podcast on Wednesday, college football analyst Andy Staples explained the divide on Lagway after his 2024 campaign.

"There's going to be two groups," Staples said (03:45). "There's going to be the group of people whose like 'Oh yeah, he's clearly far and away No. 1 here.' And the group that's like, 'What are you talking about? He had nine interceptions last year, and he was only a part-time starter. He's not there yet.' And it's basically the difference — did you watch the game or did you just see the box score?

"If you just read the box score, you're like, 'Eh, I don't see it.' If you watched him play against LSU and against Ole' Miss, you're like 'Oh my God this guy is going to win the Heisman and be the number one pick in the NFL draft.'"

A deeper look at DJ Lagway's starting run with Florida in 2024

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DJ Lagway got his first taste of college football action after Graham Mertz was placed on concussion protocol following the season opener against Miami. The freshman was named the starter for Florida's game against Stanford. During the game against Tennessee, Mertz suffered a season-ending injury, opening the door for Lagway to come in and take the helm.

In the seven starts, Lagway amassed a record of 6-1, leading the Gators to bowl game eligibility. With Mertz's collegiate football career over, Lagway will likely get the nod to start for Florida next season, giving college football fans a look at what he can do in a full season as the program's starting signal-caller.

The Gators finished the 2024 season with an 8-5 (4-4 Southeastern Conference) overall record. They dismantled Tulane 33-8 in the Gasparilla Bowl in December to close out their season. Lagway and Florida have a lot of work to do if they want to compete with the likes of Texas, Georgia and Tennessee, among others, for SEC glory in 2025.