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Florida football injury report: QB DJ Lagway practicing, questionable for Texas

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Florida football injury report: QB DJ Lagway practicing, questionable for Texas


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Florida football freshman quarterback DJ Lagway has taken limited reps in practice this week and is listed as questionable on the SEC availability report for the Florida Gators game Saturday at No. 5 Texas (noon, ABC)

Lagway was carted off the field with a hamstring pull during the second quarter of UF’s 38-20 loss to Georgia on Saturday in Jacksonville.

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“He’s trying,” Florida football coach Billy Napier said. “He’s a competitor. You think about him, he’s going back to his home state. He wants to try to find a pathway to make this work. Obviously, it’s touch and go.”

A native of Willis, Texas, Lagway earned Gatorade High School Player of the Year honors at UF, where he’s made an impact as a true freshman. The 6-foot-3, 239-pound Lagway took over as UF’s starting quarterback when Graham Mertz went down with a torn ACL on Oct. 13 at Tennessee and has passed for 1,071 yards on the season with six TDs to five interceptions.

If Lagway can’t go, Florida will turn to third-string quarterback Aidan Warner, who went 7-for-22 for 66 yards and an inteception in relief of Lagway against the Bulldogs.

“He’s gotten a little more comfortable,” Napier said of Warner. “He’s obviously taking a few more reps than he normally does.”

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Also listed as questionable on the SEC availability report are running back Montrell Johnson Jr., who has been out since Oct. 13 with a leg injury, and cornerback Dijon Johnson, who left the game against Georgia in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury.

Starting cornerbacks Jason Marshall Jr. (shoulder) and Devin Moore (knee) both have been ruled out for the Texas game.

Florida football WR Eugene Wilson shelved for the rest of the season

Florida wide receiver Eugene Wilson will sit out the remainder of the 2024 season after undergoing surgery this week.

“It’s a genetic hip issue that got to a point to where we had to clean it up,” Napier said. “So, we exhausted all resources. You know, he’s been in and out of the lineup. Can take a few days off, feel like a million bucks then can go work really hard and have to sit back. I think we made the best decision in his long-term career.”

The 5-foot-10, 181-pound Wilson, who was expected to be a playmaking threat in UF’s offense this season, finished the year with 19 catches for 266 yards and a TD. By appearing in just four games, Wilson could take a redshirt in 2024 and return to UF as a redshirt sophomore with three more years of eligibility. Napier said the recovery time for the surgery is four months.

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“They got to the root of the problem, and we sent him to Chicago probably 10 days ago to see the best hip doctor in the country,” Napier said. “Got done everything we could do to try to help him.”

Also, according to a report from Swamp 247Sports, running back Treyaun Webb underwent surgery to repair a fractured tibia and will miss the rest of the 2024 season. Like Wilson, Webb appeared in just four games and can take 2024 as a redshirt year.

Florida football availability report

Out

— CB Ja’Keem Jackson

— CB Jason Marshall Jr.

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— CB Devin Moore

— WR Eugene Wilson III

— WR Kahleil Jackson

— RB Treyaun Webb

— QB Graham Mertz

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— S Asa Turner

— OL Devon Manuel

— DL Jamari Lyons

Questionable

— QB DJ Lagway

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— RB Montrell Johnson Jr.

— WR Elijhah Badger

— CB Dijon Johnson

— OL Dameion George Jr.

— DL Cam Jackson

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Texas football availability report

Out

— DB Derek Williams Jr.

— RB CJ Baxter

— RB Christian Clark

— RB Velton Gardner

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— DL Vernon Broughton (first half)

Questionable

— DB Andrew Makuba

— DE Colton Vasek

Probable

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— WR Isaiah Bond

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1



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Protest photos in Florida after ICE shooting in Minneapolis

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Protest photos in Florida after ICE shooting in Minneapolis



ICE shooting: After Renee Nicole Good was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, millions of Americans are protesting — including in Trump’s home state.

A week ago, President Donald Trump rang in the new year like a king — in grandeur and opulence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

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Following this week’s deadly shooting by a federal immigration officer in Minnesota, millions of Americans frustrated with his administration are protesting — including in his home state.

Groups in Orlando, Tallahassee and Miami have held vigils and peaceful protests after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot in the head while attempting to use a vehicle to flee authorities. The incident was captured on camera, and multiple videos posted on social media have gotten millions of views.

The nationwide protests are the latest in a year of Trump’s second term, which is coming up on a one-year anniversary later this month. Most cite Trump’s:

  • immigration crackdowns
  • ICE and National Guard deployments
  • on-again-off-again tariffs
  • his perceived control over all three branches of the U.S. government

More than 25 Trump protests and vigils for Renee Nicole Good were scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 7, to Sunday, Jan. 11, in his home state of Florida, and at least one was scheduled in Palm Beach County − about 30 miles down the road from his private club.

Last week, Donald and Melania Trump hosted their annual New Year’s Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. He returns there Friday, Jan. 9, amid the ICE protests and vigils for Renee Good in Minneapolis.

USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network will provide live coverage of the anti-Trump administration protests.

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Below are photos of the ICE protests in Florida, which occurred as Trump returned home to his private club, Mar-a-Lago.

Photos of ICE protest in Gainesville, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Palm Coast, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Stuart, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Tallahassee, Florida

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US protests after Renee Nicole Good is shot dead by an ICE agent

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.





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Flying taxis? They could be coming to Florida by the end of the year

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Flying taxis? They could be coming to Florida by the end of the year



Hate driving in Florida traffic? A flying taxi can elevate that problem. Electric aircrafts could used in Florida’s skies in 2026.

Tired of the constant traffic and congestion clogging Florida’s roads?

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In the words of the great Dr. Emmett Brown (Back to the Future fame), “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”

Florida is on its way to be the nation’s first state to offer commercial Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Essentially, that means state officials are paving the (air)way for passengers to take flight taxis, including electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), from one city to another in record time.

The country’s first aerial test site should be operational within the first part of 2026. It’s at Florida Department of Transportation’s SunTrax testing facility in Polk Couty between Tampa and Orlando along the almost-always congested Interstate-4.

“Florida is at the forefront of emerging flight technology, leading the nation in bringing highways to the skies with Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), an entirely new mode of transportation,” according to a press release from the Florida Department of Transportation. “FDOT’s strategic investments in infrastructure to support AAM will help us become the first state with commercial AAM services.”

When will flight taxis be available in Florida?

Sometime in early 2026, the new Florida AAM Headquarters at the SunTrax Campus will be operational. By the end of the year, it will be fully activated and ready to deploy profitable commercial services for passenger travel.

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Air taxi company Archer Aviation announced in Dec. 2025 that it will provide flights between Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami international airports possibly as early as this year.

The company also plans to pick up and drop off passengers at the Boca Raton Airport, the Witham Field airport in Stuart, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport and Miami Executive Airport.

Phase one of Florida air taxis: Four sections of the state

  • Part A: I-4 corridor, Orlando to Tampa, Orlando to the Space Coast, Orlando to Suntrax and Tampa to Suntrax.
  • Part B: Port St. Lucie to Miami
  • Part C: Tampa to Naples/Miami to Key West
  • Part D: Pensacola to Tallahassee

Phase two of Florida air taxis: Four more sections

  • Part A: Daytona Beach to Jacksonville
  • Part B: Sebring out east and west
  • Part C: Orlando to Lake City/Tampa to Tallahassee
  • Part D: Jacksonville to Tallahassee

What Florida airports are interested in commercial flight taxis

  • Boca Raton Airport (BCT)
  • Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB)
  • Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
  • Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL)
  • Miami Executive Airport (TMB)
  • Miami International Airport (MIA)
  • Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF)
  • Orlando Executive Airport (ORL)
  • Orlando International Airport (MCO)
  • Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
  • Peter O Knight Airport (TPF)
  • Sebring Regional Airport (SEF)
  • Tallahassee International Airport (TLH)
  • Tampa International Airport (TPA)
  • Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB)

Michelle Spitzeris a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.



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Officials withheld evidence on Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ funding, environmental groups say

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Officials withheld evidence on Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ funding, environmental groups say


ORLANDO, Fla. — Federal and state officials withheld evidence that the Department of Homeland Security had agreed to reimburse Florida for some of the costs of constructing an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” according to environmental groups suing to shut down the facility.

The Everglades facility remains open, still holding detainees, because an appellate court in early September relied on arguments by Florida and the Trump administration that the state hadn’t yet applied for federal reimbursement, and therefore wasn’t required to follow federal environmental law.

The new evidence — emails and documents obtained through a public records request — shows that officials had discussed federal reimbursement in June, and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed in early August that it had received from state officials a grant application. Florida was notified in late September that FEMA had approved $608 million in federal funding to support the center’s construction and operation.

“We now know that the federal and state government had records confirming that they closely partnered on this facility from the beginning but failed to disclose them to the district court,” said Tania Galloni, one of the attorneys for the environmental groups.

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An appellate panel in Atlanta put a temporary hold on a lower court judge’s ruling that would have closed the state-built facility. The new evidence should now be considered as the judges decide the facility’s permanent fate, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, said in court papers on Wednesday.

A federal judge in Miami in mid-August ordered the facility to wind down operations over two months because officials had failed to do a review of the detention center’s environmental impact according to federal law. That judge concluded that a reimbursement decision already had been made.

The Florida Department of Emergency Management, which led the efforts to build the Everglades facility, didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry on Thursday.

Florida has led other states in constructing facilities to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Besides the Everglades facility, which received its first detainees in July, Florida has opened an immigration detention center in northeast Florida and is looking at opening a third facility in the Florida Panhandle.

The environmental lawsuit is one of three federal court challenges to the Everglades facility. In the others, detainees said Florida agencies and private contractors hired by the state have no authority to operate the center under federal law. They’re also seeking a ruling ensuring access to confidential communications with their attorneys.

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Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social



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