DJ Lagway will be the seventh true freshman to start at Florida

[Escambia94]

This Saturday, DJ Lagway will become the seventh true freshman to start at Florida, joining Wayne Peace, Donald Douglas, Jesse Palmer, Chris Leak, Jacoby Brissett, and Treon Harris.

Wayne Peace took over in game 5 for an injured Bobby Hewko and got a 15-3 win against Ole Miss at Hemingway Stadium on October 18, 1980. Peace was 4 of 10 for 66 yards.

Donald Douglas got his start against #12 Auburn in a 7-10 loss at Jordan-Hare on November 4, 1989. He was 1 for 5 for 6 yards.

Jesse Palmer was 8 for 10 for 92 yards with 2 TDs in a 24-10 victory over Auburn on October 18, 1997.

Chris Leak was 20 of 35 for 268 yards for 2 TDs and 2 INTs in a 24-21 victory over Kentucky on September 27, 2003.

Jacoby Brissett made his first start against #1 LSU in an 11-41 loss in Death Valley.

Treon Harris beat out Will Grier somehow and went 2 for 2 for 148 yards and 2 TDs in a victory over Eastern Michigan at home. His two passes were 70 and 78-yard TD passes, which propelled his passer rating to 1051.6.

Florida has used 13 true freshmen as backups or starters in a game: Brock Berlin, Trey Burton, Cris Collinsworth, Jeff Driskel, Donald Douglas, Doug Johnson, Chris Leak, Cam Newton, Jesse Palmer, Wayne Peace, Herbert Perry, Josh Portis, and Tim Tebow. Leak played the most as a true freshman with 13 games, 9 starts. Tebow played in 9 games, 0 starts.

 

[Leakfan12]

Too soon for him to be the starter for the rest of the season?

 

[Escambia94]

Too soon for him to be the starter for the rest of the season?

Not at all. If he lights up the scoreboard and masters all 5 of Napier's plays, it will be hard to not make him the starter. The only reason to keep Mertz as the starter after a great performance by Lagway is out of loyalty to Mertz for all he has done for UF. Unfortunately, this is how sports go. Joe Montana was the greatest QB at the time, but when Steve Young outperformed him while Montana was injured, Young became the starter. This is a tale as old as football. It sucks for Mertz, but this is what football is like. Transferring out of UF is not going to help him. Mertz can still take this time to get healthy and make a run for the NFL as an undrafted free agent, which has happened before. I am not saying a team would take him, but stranger things have happened. Mertz profiles like Brad Johnson in many ways, other than being a journeyman transfer QB. Brad Johnson had a great career in the NFL. Matt Cassel profiles worse than Mertz and he had a decent NFL career. Both of them were drafted in late rounds, with Tony Romo being another similar QB who went undrafted from a small school.

 

[Escambia94]

After I typed my earlier response I remembered that Napier, like most coaches, is stubborn. More than likely, Mertz will be the starter against Texas A&M.