Lagway to start Gators' season opener vs. LIU

Florida quarterback DJ Lagway will start Saturday against Long Island University after dealing with a calf strain for the bulk of fall camp.

Gators coach Billy Napier said Monday during his weekly news conference that Lagway has been a full participant in recent practices and would get the start.

Lagway took team reps a week ago for the first time since camp began in July. Up until that point, he had been limited for three weeks. Lagway strained his calf during offseason workouts, after missing spring practice following sports hernia surgery.

Napier said Lagway has "learned a lot about himself," in dealing with the injuries and frustrations that come along with them.

"A lot of times things happen to you that you can't control, so there's opportunities to get better as a result of what he's going through," Napier said. "He's learned a lot about himself. This won't be the first time he's gone through something like this. You play the game, you're going to get injured, so how you manage that not only physically but mentally ... for him that's been a bit of a challenge, but I think it's been healthy for him."

Lagway played as a true freshman last year, going 6-1 as the Gators starter after throwing for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding 101 yards rushing.