"Not going to be easy": DJ Lagway & Co. issued a word of caution as CFB analyst weighs in on battle between Arch Manning & Florida QB

DJ Lagway is expected to make strides this season for Florida, having already gotten a taste of what it's like to start for the Gators last fall. The young quarterback will have some competition for being the best in the SEC, however, as Texas' Arch Manning will be a feature passer, as well.

Fox Sports' RJ Young weighed in on that matter Sunday on his podcast, "The Number One College Football Show."

"Florida's schedule, they're at Death Valley — that's LSU, for those of y'all that still wanna have that particular argument," Young said. "They also gotta play at (Texas) A&M. They're playing against Texas, but they've gotta play at Florida. They've got Miami on the schedule. It's not going to be easy."

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Due to the pitfalls that Florida's schedule might have, Young leans toward Manning being the more successful of the two over the next campaign.

"When I look at both of those players, I think you've gotta give the edge to Arch because Arch is probably going to be in a little better situation offensively and defensively," Young said. "Now, there have been some changes for Billy Napier on that Florida staff, but it is Florida, and DJ Lagway was playing some of his best ball late into the season.

"And I think that, if he had gone with DJ Lagway instead of Graham Mertz to start, we might be talking about a team that might've finished with 10 wins."

Analyst questions how an injury might impact DJ Lagway

DJ Lagway hasn't been throwing this spring as Florida has taken to the practice field. He's currently nursing a shoulder ailment that stems back to last season.

“I think our intentions here are to be very smart,” Billy Napier said. “I do think he’ll be limited in throwing activities, but he’ll participate in all practices otherwise. And we’ve done a lot of homework here relative to the things he went through as a player."

Napier added that the Gators have consulted with "a few experts" regarding Lagway's injury as they take every precaution to keep him on track to recover. CBS Sports' Josh Pate wondered Sunday on "Josh Pate's College Football Show" what the extent of Lagway's injury is.

“Second opinions are not normally something you’re seeking unless you get bad news on the first opinion. … We’re left to wonder, ‘Is DJ Lagway okay?’ Um, we don’t know.”

Lagway will have to be healthy if Florida is to improve its record this year, especially in a tough conference.