The 2024 College Football season was truly a rollercoaster for Billy Napier and the Florida football team. The Gators started the year 2-5, and all signs pointed toward Billy Napier being fired before the season even ended. Then DJ Lagway and the team started to click, Florida started to rip off wins, and even in the games they lost, they were competitive.
On Wednesday, Kirk Herbstreit appeared on the Pat McAfee Show, where he praised the Florida Gators and put his belief in Billy Napier. While Kirk Herbstreit is off on the record, his point about the Florida Gators is perfect, as the team showed they didn't quit, which means they believe in Billy Napier and his message isn't falling on deaf ears.
"Billy Napier’s team last year at one point they were like 2-5, and everybody had him fired. In this era of NIL and the portal, you’re just expecting these guys to check out. Where are they gonna go? And he rallies them at the end of the year. They win a bunch of games."Kirk Herbstreit
After praising the group as a whole, Kirk Herbstreit started to talk about the real reason there's a ton of belief in the Florida Gators, DJ Lagway. Kirk Herbstreit declared that DJ Lagway is going to be one of those quarterbacks in the Heisman conversation when the season nears its final stretch.
"Lagway, to me, if you’re trying to find the guy that in the middle of October we’re talking about, ‘Where’s this guy?’ I’m telling you, that’s the guy. Because we know about (LaNorris) Sellers. We know about (John) Mateer at Oklahoma, has a chance, but I think if there’s a guy, it’s DJ Lagway at Florida that I think a lot of people are gonna fall in love with. I was proud of Florida, the way they kept fighting."Kirk Herbstreit
When DJ Lagway was finally inserted into the starting lineup, he showed plenty of promise which leads you to believe he's going to take a second-year jump. Lagway passed for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns with 9 interceptions while rushing for 101 yards. The freshman dealt with injuries that hampered his ability to run and make plays outside of the pocket but, when healthy he'll just need to cut down on his turnovers.
The Gators will have an impressive team this season as they return a veteran offensive line, an explosive running back, and an elite receiver in Eugene Wilson III. The defense returns elite talent on the defensive line and a veteran group in the secondary which should lead to an improved group as a whole.
Billy Napier will have a chance to go from the hot seat to the College Football Playoff in one year which is an impressive turnaround.