GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Texas quarterback Arch Manning was the clear-cut favorite to win the Heisman Trophy until the Longhorns lost to Ohio State. Or so that was what they told us, the chattering heads who spend their days analyzing and pontificating and yapping into microphones to fill the great content void.

Manning may still very well win the Heisman, but he was never going to win it in Week 1. Some of those same voices consider Gators quarterback DJ Lagway a Heisman candidate. Lagway had a better first game than Manning, but his performance in Florida’s 55-0 win over Long Island didn’t remind anyone of Danny Wuerffel or Tim Tebow at the height of their careers.

As the Gators build toward arguably their most anticipated game of the season – an Oct. 4 home game against Manning and the Longhorns – Lagway has an opportunity to stake his claim as a Heisman front-runner, starting Saturday against USF.

A crisp performance and victory over the Bulls won’t push Lagway to the top, but if the sophomore improves the way he wants and the Gators pull off some magic on the road at LSU and Miami the next two weeks, you can bet Lagway’s star will be shining as bright as ever when Texas visits.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. First, listen to what Lagway had to say after he finished 15 of 18 for 120 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener. Lagway played the first half before true freshman Tramell Jones Jr. took over in relief.

“Definitely wasn’t excited [about] the way I played,” he said. “I got to do better.”

That sounds like a player with strong self-awareness and a passion to be the best.

 

Star power on and off the field 🤩🏈

DJ Lagway represents @GatorsFB everywhere from the scoreboard to billboards!#NCAAFB | ✍️ https://t.co/UaEpl0rIa2 pic.twitter.com/iKA6sLLLCf

— NCAA (@NCAA) September 5, 2025

The Gators saw what that looks like in action when they returned to practice this week.

“He’s on a mission. He’s showed up with an edge every day,” UF head coach Billy Napier said. “He’s excited about getting back out there and proving he can play better.”

Lagway improved to 7-1 as Florida’s starting quarterback with the victory over LIU, and coming off a calf injury that limited him in preseason camp, he proved he was healthy. He also showed he was rusty after an offseason defined by injuries.

Lagway was sacked on the Gators’ first offensive snap of the season, and other than a 41-yard pass to Vernell Brown III, most of his throws were underneath the coverage as the Gators seemed content to take what the Sharks gave them.

USF coach Alex Golesh anticipates a difficult challenge from Lagway on Saturday.

“The most impressive thing about him is the composure,” Golesh said. “You can tell there’s a calming presence about him. He’s special and should be for a really long time.”

While Golesh offered an outsider’s perspective, Lagway’s teammates know Lagway was displeased by his first career start in a Florida season opener.

“DJ is going to be the hardest on himself out of anybody,” receiver J. Michael Sturdivant said. “Being able to see him be very detailed this week in practice has been great. It’s made everybody else want to be even more detailed and go even harder.”

Added running back Jadan Baugh: He’s a very, very, very hard competitor. He pushes us a lot.”

Meanwhile, the Bulls have a talented quarterback in Byrum Brown, who has many of the same traits as Lagway. Brown is 6-foot-3, 232 pounds. Lagway is 6-foot-3, 247 pounds. Both are dual-threat playmakers who are vitally important to their team’s success.

Still, Lagway is the headliner in this matchup and arguably more critical to his team than any player in the country. The Gators go as Lagway goes.

If his first eight career starts are an indication, Gators fans are in for a fun ride. But for now, that is nothing more than hyperbole with a keyboard instead of a microphone.

Napier has more modest thoughts in Week 2. He wants to see Lagway get more comfortable after a challenging offseason.

“There’s no replacement for actually playing in the game and practicing in the game,” Napier said. “I think he would tell you the same thing. You gotta rip the Band-Aid off and get back in the mix. You’re playing tackle football, the pocket’s live, and regardless of the opponent, there’s just something about getting back into that feel for the game.”

Considering Florida’s formidable schedule, LIU served as a warm-up for Lagway. Some viewed USF the same way until the Bulls thumped 25th-ranked Boise State in their season opener.

The tone has changed somewhat around Saturday’s matchup at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. What has remained the same is that the start of DJ Lagway’s college career has been a surge of renewed hope that the UF football program needed.

Much like Manning and Texas, hope is high. Lagway’s Week 1 was better than Manning’s, but that doesn’t mean much at this stage of the season. What the Gators desperately want is for Lagway to keep improving and lead the way to a better day.