Whether football or poker, it’s obvious which Florida quarterback you should bet on | Whitley

An illustrative question popped into Billy Napier’s head on Saturday. It was DJ Lagway’s first college scrimmage, and the new kid needed some food for thought.

“Did you ever play poker growing up?” Napier asked him.

The way things were going, Napier knew the answer. So he basically started channeling Kenny Rogers, minus the musical accompaniment.

You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.

It’s not just Lagway who needs to learn that lesson. It’s Graham Mertz, though his football/poker game is a lot more sophisticated than anyone else’s at Florida’s quarterback table.

That’s why if you think Lagway should be dealing the cards at UF, please avoid sportsbooks. You might make a wager you’ll regret.

Or to cut through the poker analogizing, Lagway will not be Florida’s starting quarterback anytime soon.

That should not be surprising. In a less-frenetic football world, Lagway would currently be getting measured for a tuxedo he’d wear to the prom back in Willis, Texas.

Instead, he’s enrolled as a student/athlete/savior at UF, trying hard to become a college quarterback. But these things take time, no matter how many national player of the year awards one has.

So it shouldn’t be surprising that Lagway is light years behind Mertz, but it is to the everyone who’s been caught up in the DJ Mania.

Just Google “Lagway” and “Savior.” Swaths of internet wisdom think Lagway has reported ready for SEC duty. That Napier’s best chance of staying employed is to start Lagway right away.

They obviously haven’t been watching spring football practice.

Come to think of it, I haven’t been watching it, either. The vast majority of it has been conducted behind closed gates. But you still see a little and hear a good bit.

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There’s no questioning Lagway’s raw skills or physical presence. His attitude has been A-plus. Halfway through spring practice, Lagway got his first semi-test in Saturday’s scrimmage at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

“He did a lot of good today,” Napier said. “I think he made some plays with his feet.”

We knew he could do that. The question is how quickly Lagway will make plays with his brain.

That’s not to question his intelligence. It just takes time to learn the intricacies of reading defenses and reacting properly. That brings us back to the poker talk Napier had with his prized recruit.

“If you played Texas Hold 'Em and you get a three and a four, you fold your cards and you go to the next hand,” he said.

Translation: If the play is breaking down, don’t force things. That worked at Willis High, but the SEC is a whole different casino.

“Sometimes you get dealt a bad hand,” Napier said, “and you’ve got to learn how to play the next hand.”

Then there is Mertz.

Lagway’s problem is he tries to make something out of nothing. Mertz’s problem is he doesn’t try that often enough.

“We are trying to get Graham to be more aggressive without being careless,” Napier said. “I think the narrative on him coming in, obviously, everybody talked about the interceptions at Wisconsin and all that.”

The spring practice chatter last year centered on Mertz and whether his career could be salvaged. He’d thrown 38 touchdown passes at Wisconsin but had 26 interceptions.

That changed to 20 TDs, three interceptions and an SEC-best 72.9 completion percentage in 2023. Mertz more than salvaged his career. He became a cornerstone of the team.

But most of Mertz’s throws were dinks and dunks. That was partly by design, though he also didn’t take enough chances.

It was as if he were dealt a Jack and a Queen on some plays. Instead of taking another card or two, Mertz would fold.

No risk, no reward.

“He proved he could play clean ball last year. Now I think it’s about trying to improve calculated risk.” Napier said. “Let’s try to be aggressive and manage the game and eliminate careless play. But let’s try to create more explosives and distribute the ball and push the ball down the court.”

That’s going to take some getting used to, but this isn’t Mertz’s first trip to a poker table. He knows how to play the game. Now it’s just a matter of changing strategy.

As for Lagway, “He obviously didn’t play poker growing up,” Napier said.

That’s all right. He’ll learn how to play soon enough. But if you think a savior has arrived, sorry.

That’s just not in the cards.

David Whitley is The Gainesville Sun's sports columnist. Contact him at dwhitley@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DavidEWhitley

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: DJ Lagway will star one day, but he's light years behind Mertz for now