Gators rookie DJ Lagway transitions from understudy to center stage

He has been tossed into the figurative deep end, but not long enough to even make his fingers prune.

To this point, DJ Lagway has performed as a co-star in the befuddling Florida offense, his dazzling splashes offset by a few flops. Sure, there have been some head-first dives into the ruthless undertow of the SEC, but until last week, a preserver normally was nearby.

Today, that preserver is on crutches.

A torn ACL has prematurely ended the career of sixth-year veteran Graham Mertz, leaving Lagway, 19, to tread some pretty perilous waters on his own.