Florida football held its first practice of the spring on Thursday afternoon at the Sanders practice fields.
The Florida Gators will hold their next practice Saturday before taking a week off for spring practice. All told, Florida will get 15 workouts in, culminating with the Orange and Blue game on April 13 at The Swamp.
Florida is entering its third spring under head coach Billy Napier with 13 returning starters and optimism for improvement after finishing 5-7. The 2024 schedule, though, is a bear, beginning Aug. 31 at The Swamp against rival Miami and culminating with a five-game stretch that includes Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State.
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Florida is 11-14 in two seasons under Napier, and there was a shakeup in the defensive staff during the offseason, which included hiring new secondary coach Will Harris, new linebackers coach co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts and new defensive line coach Gerald Chatman.
Here are three takeaways from the 15-minute open portion of UF’s first spring practice:
UF football freshman D.J. Lagway sizzles in debut
Lagway completed 22 of 24 passes, with one drop, while getting the ball to receivers in stride with some zip on his throws. A five-star quarterback and Gatorade National Player of the Year, Lagway is expected to learn from incumbent starter Graham Mertz this season, though could be worked into some packages on offense depending on how he progresses. Of note, co-offensive coordinator Russ Callaway was barking out plays for both Mertz and Lagway as they played pitch and catch with receivers.
LB Shemar James, DE Justus Boone working out in non-contact jerseys
Linebacker Shemar James…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/qb-d-j-lagway-shines-230232709.html
Author : The Gainesville Sun
Publish date : 2024-03-07 23:02:32
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