Florida Spring Football: Backup QBs Getting Work

The Florida Gators football team resumed its spring practice period Saturday.

The media was allowed another 15-minute media viewing period, where the team was broken up into position groups. This one took place in the indoor facility due to poor weather conditions.

What We Saw

Quarterback DJ Lagway is still limited with his shoulder and lower body injuries. He practiced without throwing again Saturday, taking snaps to hand off to the running backs while the other quarterbacks threw the ball. Aidan Warner and transfer Harrison Bailey took the first team reps in his place.

Lagway taking snaps with the RBs while the other QBs go through throwing drills.@ESPNGainesville #Gators pic.twitter.com/38ZsSI9H1Q

— Nick Abreu (@NickAbreu13) March 8, 2025

Other than that, not too much different from day one.

Running back Treyaun Webb was a full participant after being limited on Thursday.

Transfer wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant looks like the wide receiver one on this team. His routes look smooth, and the combination of his size and speed will be a major threat in the Lagway-led offense. Look for him on deep balls this year. Eugene Wilson III was out there in a black non-contact jersey, but looked to participate fully in drills. Aidan Mizell was not on the field after practicing fully on Thursday.

UCLA transfer WR J. Michael Sturdivant showing the speed and the hands. @ESPNGainesville #Gators pic.twitter.com/povXmVjx0i

— Nick Abreu (@NickAbreu13) March 8, 2025

What They Said

The defensive side of the ball is looking to tighten up and improve further on the success in the back half of 2024. On Thursday, defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp said no one, at least on the defensive ball, will wear the No. 1 on their jersey this year. He explained how that jersey can bring selfishness with it, and they want the defensive identity to be its cohesion this year.

“Everybody got to have each other’s backs,” he said. “We all got to trust each other.”

Co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts spoke to the media after Saturday’s practice. He continued the motion that they aren’t satisfied with anything they have accomplished and are looking to improve this spring. Roberts said they’re circling the 30 turnover mark as the goal for this year. He stressed increasing the intelligence of the players as the biggest thing to improve on before the start of the season in the Fall.

On the other side of the ball, co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Russ Callaway stressed the hardworking nature and the depth of the offensive unit.

“This is the first year, I think since we’ve been here, where our best players are about the work,” he said. “They’re not just the best players, but they’re the ones that are up here all day putting in the extra work.”

He stressed the depth at running back, wide receiver and tight end. He also spoke about the importance of getting a veteran quarterback transfer in Bailey to back up Lagway.

What’s Next

It’s only the second of 15 practices throughout the spring. A lot will change over that time. New faces will prove themselves and the depth chart will continue to be updated leading up to the start of the 2025 season.

The Orange and Blue Game will take place on April 12.