(Photo credit: Florida Gators)
It’s officially Florida Gators spring practice season, y’all!
As In All Kinds Of Weather has done before, I’ll be sporadically providing updates on what we’re hearing and reading about. I’m lucky to have a few contacts on the ground in Gainesville who feed me their insights and notes. As has been the case in previous years, I will not write anything that has not been told to me by at least two different sources; this is a measure that I take to weed out anomalies and potential biases that any individual may have.
The sirens around the program have diminished; it’s back to football. So, what has stood out so far?
DJ Lagway is going to be hard to keep off the field for Florida Gators
Graham Mertz has done nothing wrong, or bad, or anything that would disqualify him from remaining QB1. He is, by all accounts, an excellent leader on and off the field, and as we saw last season, Mertz does what needs to be done to win games.
But prized five-star signee DJ Lagway, through the first week, has been tremendous. It’s not just the physical traits that we all saw on his high school tape; Lagway appears to already be in sync with his receivers despite having few if not zero prior reps with them. Yes, there are less-than-great throws– no true freshman is going to look like a create-a-player in a video game right off the bat– but those moments are few and far between. He looks as ready for the SEC as any true freshman possibly can.
What happens on the field in 2024 is still a huge question mark. How do you bench a grad transfer who’s done everything you could have possibly dreamed he’d do– and more– and has the most experience of any QB in college football? On the other hand, how do you keep someone with this ridiculous natural talent on the sideline? That’s going to be a dilemma for Billy Napier, Russ Callaway and Rob Sale, but it’s becoming pretty clear that at a minimum, DJ Lagway will have a package installed for him– much like the Chris Leak/Tim Tebow days that these two QBs seem to evoke comparisons to.
Shemar James becoming a vocal leader at LB
Even with reduced physical ability coming off of a serious knee injury, Florida linebacker Shemar James is taking that next step toward being a true alpha of the defense. James did command a lot of respect as a sophomore last year, but now, with only so much he can do physically, he’s compensating by assisting teammates in the mental aspect of the game.
Fans who wait for autographs from James after practices and games know him as an easygoing, friendly guy with a genuine sense of kindness. What some people may not realize is that James does have a fiery side– and he knows when to use each version of himself. “Some guys need a pat on the back, a ‘you’ll get him next time,’ kind of encouragement,” one source told me. “And some guys need a, ‘Yo. No. Not good enough, dude!’ type of tough love. Shemar is really becoming good at realizing who needs what and when.”
Another source told me that James isn’t afraid to talk to his offensive teammates, too. “It’s not in the same manner as with his fellow linebackers, but yes, James is a guy that everybody is looking up to– no matter what position they play,” the source said. “Pretty much everybody knows he’s going to have a tremendous junior season– in the stat sheet, on the game film, and behind closed doors when the world isn’t watching.”
Arlis Boardingham makes strides at tight end
“Let me put it this way,” one person told me. “Everybody wants to compare everyone to someone else who used to be a legend at that position. When I say this about Arlis Boardingham, people are gonna go, ‘Oh, so he’s the next Kyle Pitts.’ No. Pitts was special. But I’ll say this: Boardingham is looking like the closest thing to him that you could realistically ask for.”
In Boardingham, people on the ground in Gainesville describe a hard-working guy who’s always looking to improve things. One example is his blocking ability, which people say has come a long way in the past twelve months. Another trait people say has improved from last spring is his route-running ability.
And with question marks at receiver, the Florida Gators are going to need production out of its tight end spot. Eugene (Tre) Wilson gives Florida one dependable piece, but uncertainty looms behind him in the pass-catching department. If Boardingham continues to grow as a more all-around player, he’s someone to look out for this fall.
