Thoughts of the day: June 21, 2025

Expectations are through the roof for DJ Lagway in 2025 (Photo by Chris Spears)

A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning:

Expectations are through the roof for DJ Lagway, who will begin the 2025 season with the best record among Southeastern Conference quarterbacks who started multiple games in 2024. Lagway is 6-1 as Florida’s starting QB, his only loss to Georgia, a game the Gators were leading 10-3 when he left the game with a hamstring injury. When he came back from the injury a couple of weeks later, Lagway won four straight games to establish himself as a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender for his sophomore season.

The last Florida quarterback to enter into his sophomore season with a stratospheric forecast qwas Tim Tebow. In 2008, Tebow met and then exceeded all expectations by winning the Heisman Trophy even though he lost three games during the regular season. Expectations for Lagway are scraping the edges of the universe, but just like Tebow, he seems to have the ability to zone out everything except the task at hand.

If Lagway can stay focused on whatever is next instead of looking at the big picture projected by an entire season, the Gators will have a legitimate shot at the College Football Playoff. And, if the Gators make the playoff, Lagway figures to be in the running to become Florida’s fourth Heisman Trophy winner.

Lindy’s ranks Lagway as the No. 7 national quarterback, No. 4 in the SEC. He’s also Lindy’s No. 7 Heisman contender.

How Lindy’s ranks the quarterback rooms in the SEC:

1. LSU: The starter is Garrett Nussmeier. The backup is Mississippi State transfer Michael Van Buren. Nussmeier was 337-525 for 4,052 (7.7 per attempt) yards while running for three more TDs. As a freshman at Mississippi State, Van Buren was 140-256 for 1,886 yards (7.4 per attempt) and 11 TDs (7 picks).

2. Texas: The starter is Arch Manning. The backup is Troy transfer Matthew Caldwell. Manning was 61-90 passing for 939 yards (10.4 per attempt) for nine touchdowns (2 picks). He ran for 108 yards and four touchdowns. At Troy, Caldwell was 141-223 passing for 1,608 yards (7.2 per attempt) and 13 touchdowns (8 picks). He ran for 47 yards and five touchdowns.

3. South Carolina: The starter is LaNorris Sellers. The backup is redshirt freshman Air Noland, who transferred from Ohio State. Sellers was 196-299 passing for 2,534 yards (8.5 per attempt) and 18 touchdowns (7 picks). He ran for 674 yards and seven touchdowns.

4. FLORIDA: The starter is DJ Lagway. The backup is Harrison Bailey, who began his career at Tennessee and transferred to UNLV before spending last year at Louisville. Lagway completed 115-192 passes for 1,915 yards (10 yards per attempt) and 12 touchdowns (9 picks). He ran for 101 yards. At Louisville, Bailey was 24-33 for 227 yards and three touchdowns (0 picks).

5. Oklahoma: The starter is Washington State transfer John Mateer. The backup is Michael Hawkins Jr. Mateer completed 224-337 passes for 3,139 yards (9.0 per attempt) for 29 touchdowns (7 picks). He ran for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns. Hawkins was 76-120 passing for 783 yards (6.5 per attempt) for three touchdowns (2 picks). He ran for 204 yards and a touchdown.

6. Vanderbilt: The starter is Diego Pavia. The backup is Blaze Berlowitz. Pavia was 177-298 passing for 2,293 yards (7.7 per attempt) and 20 touchdowns (4 picks). He ran for 801 yards and eight touchdowns. Berlowitz took a redshirt season after transferring from New Mexico State.

7. Alabama: The starter is Ty Simpson. The backup is sophomore Austin Mack. Simpson completed 14-25 passes last year for 167 yards. Mack was 2-3 for 39 yards and a touchdown.

8. Ole Miss: The starter is sophomore Austin Simmons. The backup is freshman AJ Maddox. Simmons was 19-32 passing for 282 yards (8.8 per attempt) and two touchdowns (0 picks).  

9. Texas A&M:  The starter is Marcel Reed. The backup is freshman Miles O’Neil. Reed was 147-240 passing for 1,864 yards (7.8 per attempt) and 15 touchdowns (6 picks). He ran for 543 yards and seven touchdowns.

10. Auburn: The starter is Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold. The backup is freshman Deuce Knight. Arnold was 154-246 passes for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions. He ran for 444 yards and three touchdowns.

11. Arkansas: The starter is Taylen Green. The backup is freshman K.J. Jackson. Green completed 230-381 passes for 3,154 yards and 15 touchdowns (9 picks). He ran for 602 yards and eight more touchdowns.

12. Missouri: The starter is Penn State transfer Beau Pribula. The backup is Sam Horn. Pribula was 26-35 passing for 275 yards (7.9 per attempt) with five touchdowns (1 pick). He ran for 242 yards and four touchdowns. Horn is a junior who did not play in 2024.

13. Georgia: The starter is Gunner Stockton. The backup is freshman Ryan Puglisi. Stockton was 45-64 passing for 440 yards (6.9 per attempt) with one TD and one pick.

14. Mississippi State: The starter is Blake Shapen.  The backup is freshman KaMario Taylor. Shapen was 74-108 passing for 974 yards (9.0 per attempt) with eight touchdowns (1 pick) before he was hurt in game four.  

15. Tennessee: The starter will be UCLA transfer by way of Appalachian State, Joey Aguilar. The backup is freshman Jake Merklinger. At Appalachian State, Aguilar was 218-390 passing for 3,003 yards (7.7 per attempt) and 23 touchdowns (14 picks). He ran for 207 yards and two touchdowns.

16. Kentucky: The starter is Incarnate Word transfer Zach Calzada, who began his career at Texas A&M before transferring to Auburn, then Incarnate Word. The backup is redshirt freshman Cutter Boley. Calzada was 343-524 passing for 3,744 yards (7.1 per attempt) and 35 touchdowns (9 picks) while running for 332 yards (5 touchdowns). Boley was 26-53 passing for 338 yards (6.9 per attempt) with two touchdowns (4 picks).

THE NAPIER HOT STREAK CONTINUES

There is fast and then there is CJ Bronaugh fast. Thirteen straight times Bronaugh has exploded out of the blocks to scorch the field over 100 meters, the most recent at the Florida 4A track and field championships at the University of North Florida. In the state meet at UNF, Bronaugh, running for Windermere, took down the field with a 10.34 time. It was the second straight year Bronaugh has come away with gold in the 100 meters (2023 for Foundation Academy). During his run of 13 straight wins in the 100, Bronaugh has hit 10.24 twice and never exceeded 10.44.

Bronaugh does more than run. He’s one of the top cornerback prospects in the country who was committed to Nebraska before Wednesday. Bronaugh (6-1, 175, Winter Garden, FL Windermere) flipped to Florida, the 11th prospect in the month of June to commit to Billy Napier and the Gators.

Bronaugh is the No. 72 recruit in the country per 247Sports, which ranks him as the No. six corner in the country and the No. 8 overall prospect in the state of Florida. Rivals ranks Bronaugh No. 94 nationwide, the 10th best corner and the 12th best player in the state of Florida. In seven games last season, Bronaugh had six interceptions, three that he ran back for touchdowns.

Prior to committing to Nebraska, Bronaugh had offers from Florida, Florida State, Penn State, Oklahoma, LSU, Miami, Texas A&M, Tennessee and North Carolina among others.

The addition to Florida’s 2026 recruiting class moved the Gators up to No. 12 at On3, No. 13 at 247Sports and No. 21 at Rivals.

Billy Napier and the Gators are hosting what is billed as “The Grille in the Ville,” a recruiting event for rising juniors for the 2027 class. Expected to attend are some of the top rated juniors in the country. Some folks who make their living off football recruiting believe Napier is going to score big. Among the visitors will be 5-star offensive tackles Mark Matthews (6-6, 280, Fort Lauderdale, FL St. Thomas Aquinas) and Cooper Hackett (6-7, 250, Fort Gibson, OK)

BREAKOUT DAY FOR JAC CAGLIANONE

The wait is over for Jac Caglianone. After a 10-51 start after being brought up to Kansas City from AAA Omaha, Caglianone hit his first and second Major League Baseball home runs Thursday afternoon as the Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers, 4-1. Caglianone’s first homer, a 387-foot blast in the second inning, was off a shoulder high 95.5 mph fast ball from Jacob Latz. In the ninth, Caglianone hit a low slider 439 feet off lefty Robert Garcia.

A night earlier, while Caglianone took a seat, former Gator Wyatt Langford had a 3-5 night for the Rangers with a single, a pair of doubles and an RBI.

Friday night in San Diego, Caglianone went 1-4 while playing both right field and first base.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT

Friday, the University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective filed a lawsuit against the University of Miami claiming tortious interference, which is a fancy way of saying Wisconsin thinks Miami tampered with one of its players. Wisconsin is seeking financial damages and a declaratory judgment against Miami, claiming UM interfered with a binding revenue sharing contract between Xavier Lucas and the University of Wisconsin.

A former Wisconsin defensive back who played in 12 games and was in on 18 tackles as a true freshman in 2024, Lucas transferred to Miami in January without entering the portal, which had already closed. Wisconsin presented documents in court that show Lucas had signed a 2-year revenue sharing agreement that was set to begin on July 1. That’s the date when all schools can begin to legally compensate athletes due to the settlement between the NCAA and the United States House of Representatives.

The revenue sharing contract, produced by the Big Ten, binds players to a specific school – Wisconsin in the case of Lucas – and grants the issuing school the non-exclusive right to use and market the player’s name, image and likeness. The contract forbids the player’s name, image and likeness to be used by any other school. Lucas signed an agreement with the collective to receive compensation until the university was legally allowed to do so once the NCAA v. House of Representatives settlement kicks in July 1.

The suit claims Lucas had more than one impermissible contact with Miami coaches during December and January. It claims a Miami coach and booster visited Lucas in his home with a contract that pays more than Wisconsin.

Lucas is being represented by Darren Heitner, who graduated with a bachelors and law degree from the University of Florida. Heitner represented the Gator Collective during the Jaden Rashada fiasco.

This may be the first tampering lawsuit but don’t think for a second it will be the only one. Since the advent of the portal and collectives, there have been constant complaints that tampering has become the norm. The difference is this is the first time one school has sued another.

Should Wisconsin win this lawsuit against Miami, it will be the dawn of a new cottage industry as schools lawyer up to go after those it suspects of tampering with its players. The NCAA deal with the House is supposed to offer a clear pathway to navigate a myriad of issues. What we are going to discover is the deal only complicates matters.

Things are going to get worse before they ever get better again.