Florida Head Coach Billy Napier Makes Major Change Amid Hot Seat Rumors

The Florida Gators were embarrassed on the national stage this past Saturday, August 31, as they were on the wrong end of a 24-point beatdown by the No. 19 Miami Hurricanes.

The ugly loss, combined with the fact that head coach Billy Napier was already on the hot seat, has led to Gators' fans calling for Napier's job. When looking at Florida's schedule, most fans and analysts alike don't see a lot of opportunities for a win outside of their Week 2 game against Samford.

A game in which Napier was forced to make a change at quarterback.

According to a Wednesday report by 247Sports ' Jacob Rudner, Napier announced via the Southeastern Conference weekly teleconference that five-star freshman DJ Lagway will get the starting nod this weekend.

The 2023-2024 Gatorade National Player of the Year will be starting in place of Graham Mertz, who is sidelined due to being in concussion protocol following a big hit on Saturday.

Napier raved about Lagway, who is the second-highest-ranked quarterback in program history, when speaking during the teleconference.

"It's been a lot of fun," Napier said on Wednesday. "DJ's got a great attitude, obviously. He's excited, got a chance to play Saturday for the first time in his career. Just to get feedback about that and now understand what it's like out there as a competitor. So far, so good. I thought he did a lot of good things (Tuesday) and it's great to see the other players kind of rally around him. But, yeah, it's definitely a positive for him to be able to take advantage of those reps with the first team."

In his limited action against Miami, Lagway completed 3-of-6 passes for 31 yards and a pick. However, he led the offense on their only drive, which resulted in points during the second half.

While injuries are never ideal, this could not be a better game for Lagway to get his feet wet. Samford lost its Week 1 game to West Georgia, which transitioned to the NCAA Division One level on July 1, 2024.

According to ESPN, the Gators have a 98.7% chance of winning on Saturday.

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