It’s the fourth and final week of fall camp as the Florida Gators wrap up practice on Wednesday. The team will take a few days off before beginning preparation for the season opener vs Long Island on August 30th.
Head coach Billy Napier met with the media on Monday evening. Here are the highlights.
DJ Lagway throws in 11 on 11 team setting
Napier announced that sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway threw in an 11 on 11 team setting during Monday’s practice.
“He took team reps today which was good and obviously he’s hitting, he had a great full stack of throws last week four days in a row, didn’t scrimmage but did quite a bit of work that day, so yeah he’s feeling much better and he’s moving around well.”
Gator Country can confirm that Lagway had not participated in an 11 on 11 setting in any of Florida’s Saturday, scrimmage like practices of fall camp, so this could be seen as a significant development in Lagway’s health entering the 2025 season.
Three ‘starters’ at cornerback – Cormani McClain
Napier stated they have three cornerbacks they would consider starters on their roster: Devin Moore, Dijon Johnson and Cormani McClain.
I’ve reported on the progress McClain has made this offseason, which included a 14-pound weight gain and several dominant performances in a scrimmage setting throughout fall camp.
“Cormani has improved as a tackler. I think he’s had a great offseason. He’s gained probably 15 pounds of lean muscle. He’s bigger, he’s stronger. He’s been much more disciplined. He’s been much more consistent as a teammate, much more accountable,” Napier said on McClain.
With Dijon Johnson missing a significant chunk of fall camp due to injury, McClain has received first team reps alongside Devin Moore. Assuming McClain can continue trending in the right direction, it would not shock me if McClain is on the field for the first defensive snap of the season.
“So I think he’s grown up quite a bit. I think he understands his level of loyalty and accountability to the team. He wants to be a guy that people can trust. He needs to continue to work on his communication. And I think he’s very much a young player that continues to evolve,” Napier said. “But he is a good cover corner. He can play outside, he can match up, he’s got height, length, speed, ball skills. He has ball judgment, and he’s improved his attack. So we need Cormani to continue to improve, and there’s a huge runway for him to continue to get better.”
Depth emerging at safety
At the beginning of fall camp, Napier noted one of their main goals was building depth at safety. Two players have emerged throughout fall camp.
“(Michael) Caraway, Lagonza (Hayward), they both have emerged from that group as guys that, they’re capable,” Napier said. “We’re going to need those guys to continue to make progress, but I think both of those players have been durable, they’ve been available, they’ve been able to take reps and taken advantage of some of the work that’s been available, and I think they’re getting closer. Again, they flashed, but we want more consistency.”
Caraway recorded a pick six in Saturday’s scrimmage.
Florida returns starters Jordan Castell and Byrce Thornton from last season, and they will likely be the pairing that takes the first defensive snap in 2025. Drake Stubbs and Alfonzo Allen Jr. are the other safeties in the mix for a depth spot.
Vernell Brown III
Freshman receiver Vernell Brown III made an appearance on last week’s notebook, and we’re going to talk about him again. Napier has raved about the progress Brown III has made, claiming he’s one of the ’emerging players in fall camp’.
During Monday’s presser, Napier said they typically play six receivers a week. Brown III is almost certainly going to be one of those. With a number of receivers missing time due to injury throughout fall camp, Brown III has seen plenty of first and second team reps within Florida’s offense.
“Vernell Brown III I think is taking full advantage of the opportunities he’s gotten. He’s proven to me that he’s ready to play,” Napier said.
We all know about Brown III’s physical traits, but his attention to detail is what has separated him from the group.
“He plays fast. I think he’s an attention to detail guy,” Napier added. “Most really elite receivers are consumed with the details. They’re OCD. They’re very particular about everything. The great ones that I’ve coached, they are very particular about how things need to be, so that carries over to how they play. That carries over to how they prepare, their recovery, their note taking in the meetings, the precision in the routes, the hand selection, the release plan, the top of route separation plan, the football intelligence. It all adds up. Receiver is a skill position. We got a lot of guys out here that run really fast for our track team that cannot play receiver. They’re big, pretty, fast. Receiver is a skill position, and you have to be a true student of the game to be an elite receiver. He has the traits to be an elite receiver because of that.”
It is entirely possible Brown III sees time as Florida’s punt returner as well.