DJ Lagway among trio of Florida football players repping UF at SEC Media Days
The Gators will do so with a diverse package of players.
The conference announced Tuesday that QB DJ Lagway, OL Jake Slaughter and DL Caleb Banks will represent UF in Atlanta. Media days will run from Tuesday, July 15-Friday, July 18. The three players – along with head coach Billy Napier – will speak Wednesday, along with Alabama, Mississippi State and Oklahoma.
Advertisement
Lagway is the national draw of the Gators this season. The sophomore is being ranked as one of the SEC's top QBs and appeared on the deluxe cover of NCAA Football 26. He threw for 12 TDs and 1,915 yards in the 2024 season in 12 games played.
Slaughter, a senior and Ocala native, is one of the nation's top offensive lineman. A first team All-American in 2024, Athlon Sports and Walter Camp named him preseason for the same title in 2025.
Banks, a redshirt senior, amassed 21 tackles in the 2024 season. He helps lead a revamped Gators defensive line that will be relied on heavily in the 2025 season.
Follow the Sun for live coverage of Florida's appearance next Wednesdy.
Advertisement
UF kicks off its 2025 season August 30th at home vs. Long Island University.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1. Read his coverage of the Gators' national championship basketball season in 'CHOMP-IONS!' — a hardcover coffee-table collector's book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football: DJ Lagway, Jake Slaughter, Caleb Banks to speak at SEC Media Days
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Texas A&M's tough 2025-2026 SEC basketball schedule has been revealed
Texas A&M's 2025-2026 basketball season will be the first for new head coach Bucky McMillan, who is just one player away from entering his inaugural campaign with a 15-player roster that is talented enough to compete for an NCAA Tournament bid. This summer, the new roster has been hard at work, getting acclimated to the speed and intensity of McMillan's system. After five seasons leading the Samford Bulldogs, McMillan is entering the toughest conference in college basketball, as the SEC has dominated the landscape in both recruiting and NCAA Tournament success. His new roster has enough star power, including former Texas Tech/Creighton guard Pop Issacs and Indiana transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako, who are expected to lead the Aggies in several categories. On Wednesday, Texas A&M's SEC schedule was released, and, similar to last season, the Aggies will be challenged from start to finish. Thanks to TexAgs for the graphic, the Aggies will kick off the 2026 SEC season against LSU at home, before facing Auburn on the road, Oklahoma at home, and then two consecutive road games against Tennessee and Texas. Outside of LSU, who should be improved, but not considered one of the top teams, Auburn, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas could all be ranked in the Top 25 at this time. Texas A&M will also face Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt on the road, which is quite the gauntlet for any first-year head coach. However, the Aggies are expected to be one of the top-scoring teams in the conference, so defense and rebounding are the fundamental questions that will be answered once the season begins. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Texas A&M senior Edge is using his All-SEC team snub as 'fuel to the fire' this season
Texas A&M's 2025 pass rush will more than likely be led by senior edge Cashius Howell, who returned for his final collegiate season after defensive linemen Nic Scourton, Shemar Turner and Shemar Stewart departed for the NFL, leaving the former Bowling Green standout as one of the best players on the roster. However, Howell, who recorded four sacks and seven pass deflections in a rotational role last season, has been snubbed by several preseason watch lists. After Wednesday's sixth and first padded preseason practice, Howell spoke to the media members in attendance, and was asked about one of the more significant preseason snubs after he was left off the the preseason All-SEC team, which included running back Le'Veon Moss (first team) offensive linemen Ar'maj Reed-Adams, Trey Zuhn III and Chase Bisontis named to the second team. At the same time, cornerback Will Lee III and linebacker Taurean York were named to the third team on defense. While York has certainly done enough on the field to garner first or second team honors, the fact that Howell wasn't even considered a third team defensive linemen was quite surprising, esepecially after finishing the year as the team's top rated pass rusher per Pro Football Focus. However, Howell is taking the high road, and, just like his low recruiting ranking, the Missouri native isn't worried about the national perception. 'You're talking to a guy who was once rated 2,000th best player in my class. I'm used to not getting picked and overlooked so it just adds fuel to the fire for me.' At 6'4" and over 250 pounds, coach Mike Elko taking over as the program's defensive play caller is good news for Howell, who will be in perfect postion to rush the passer and eliminate stretch runs, capitalizing on his impressive play at the end of the 2024 campaign. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty. This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M Edge Cashius Howell is taking his All-SEC snub in stride
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
New Texas A&M TE expected to bring 'an awful lot of value' to the 2025 roster
Texas A&M's 2025 tight end rotation will now include former Alabama and Texas junior Amari Niblack, who, outside of a forgettable 2024 season with the Longhorns, looked like an ascending receiving threat for former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe during his 2023 freshman season. Standing at 6'4" and nearly 250 pounds, Niblack is an elite athlete who should rebound in OC Collin Klein's system. Niblack's impressive speed at his size is similar to that of Texas A&M's freshman wide receiver Jerome Myles, who has reportedly been turning heads this offseason after recovering from a knee injury during his final high school season in 2024. This week, during Texas A&M's appearance at the annual SEC media days, head coach Mike Elko was asked about Niblack's addition to the roster, which has been nationally underrated after reeling in just five receptions for 33 yards with the Longhorns. Wasting players' skill sets is harmful to their future playing prospects, and while Texas HC Steve Sarkisian attempted to turn him into a full-time blocking tight end, Niblack is a hybrid receiver who needs to be utilized in the seam and find openings against zone coverage to provide quarterback Marcel Reed with another target in the passing game. Elko agrees, stating that Niblack will finally be utilized as a hybrid option in Collin Klein's offense. "Amari Niblack is an interesting one because he had spent time with coach Holmon Wiggins at Alabama." "We feel like he's a hybrid kid that adds an awful lot of value with what he can do in the receiving game." The Holmon Wiggins connection is also key, as it is likely that the scheme Alabama ran during the 2023 season has been studied to help let Niblack loose this coming season. Niblack does stand out among the rest of the 2025 tight end rotation, which includes Theo Melin Öhrström, transfer Nate Boerkircher, and Micah Riley, who are primarily blockers. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty. This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M Amari Niblack expected to make an impact in the passing game
