Florida Gators fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

After an offseason of speculation about his health, quarterback DJ Lagway joked with reporters Wednesday and was optimistic about his status moving forward.

“I don’t have a prosthetic arm,” he said while laughing. “I’m feeling great. Training’s been amazing. I’m actually getting better at throwing the ball. I’ve been working on mechanics that’s going to help my accuracy this year, help my decision making. It’s been great.”

Cam Parker of Sports Illustrated noted Lagway was “extremely limited for the entirety of spring camp with multiple injury issues” including shoulder and hamstring concerns and a reported hernia.

He suffered the hamstring injury during the team’s loss to Georgia in November and was limited for the remainder of the 2024 campaign.

Yet Lagway denied he underwent any surgery over the offseason and was confident he will be able to make all the throws asked of him during the season. That is notable because he was limited to handoffs in the spring game and didn’t participate in the viewing periods of spring camp.

Lagway flashed his potential as a freshman last season while completing 59.9 percent of his passes for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions and adding 101 yards on the ground.

He helped turn the team’s season around with victories over LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State down the stretch before a Gasparilla Bowl win over Tulane. 

As he enters his sophomore season, expectations are high for Florida once again in large part because of Lagway’s presence under center. If he can remain healthy and take strides after his freshman season, the Gators could be a threat in the SEC.

Having him healthy early in the season will be key because Florida plays LSU, Miami and Texas during its first five games.

Vanderbilt football fans haven’t often been treated to one of the nation’s best positional players wearing black and gold over the years.

That will change in 2025 when tight end Eli Stowers returns for his final season.

Already named a preseason first-team All-American by Athlon, Phil Steele and the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Stowers is gaining all kinds of national attention as Vandy’s 2025 season nears:

• ESPN football analyst Matt Miller ranks Stowers as the best tight end in the country, while fellow ESPN analyst Jordan Reid ranks Stowers second, trailing only Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq.

• Pro Football Focus ranks Stowers as the 19^th-best player — at any position — heading into the season. In fact, Stowers is the only tight end that the analytics website ranks in its top 50 players for 2025.

• The Tankathon website ranks Stowers as the nation’s top 2026 NFL Draft prospect at tight end and the 50^th-best overall prospect at any position.

“He’s a really great athlete,” Vanderbilt cornerback/wide receiver Martel Hight said of Stowers during SEC media days in Atlanta this week.

“He’s physical, pretty tall, has great hands. He doesn’t drop the ball. So guarding him is pretty tough. [He has a] bigger body, and he’s pretty swift, pretty big and pretty fast.”

A high school quarterback who has played tight end for only two seasons — just one at Vanderbilt — the 6-3, 235-pound Stowers racked up 49 catches for 638 yards (13-yard average) and five touchdowns in 2024.

Stowers would have almost certainly been a Day Two pick in the NFL Draft had he chosen to go pro. But his decision to return for another season is a good sign for the Vanderbilt football program.

The Commodores’ success on the field last season, as well as the school’s willingness to pay competitive NIL money to its top talents, each played a role in luring Stowers back. It didn’t hurt either that he and quarterback Diego Pavia are close friends, a bond that began when the two played together at New Mexico State in 2023.

“I think his choice to return is a testament to where we are as a program,” Vandy coach Clark Lea said. “You know, 2021, 2022 were defined by us losing players — drafted players to other programs and losing free agent graded players to the NFL.

“Our willingness in the last couple years to really step up from an NIL standpoint, and put the infrastructure in place to be competitive in the revenue sharing era, allows us to bring a guy like Eli back … I think that’s a great statement for Vanderbilt.”

Pavia certainly isn’t complaining, considering Stowers’ 49 catches were 20 more than the figures of wide receivers Junior Sherrill and Quincy Skinner, Jr., who were next on Vandy’s list.

A member of The Athletic’s annual Freak List of top college football athletes last season, Stowers won the 2019 Texas 6A high-jump title, and he has already recorded a vertical jump of 41-1/2 inches in college.

Stowers is both fast and elusive, as he forced 13 missed tackles last season (third most among Power Four conference tight ends, per PFF) and totaled 373 yards after the catch (fourth most among that same group).

The fact that he played quarterback in high school and for two years at Texas A&M — where Stowers didn’t see much action — helps him as a pass catcher as well.

“I know you see that smile on my face when you bring him up,” Pavia said of Stowers. “Natural talent … What makes him the best tight end in the country is that he’s played quarterback before, so he knows the openings. He knows where to sit. He knows what’s open. He gets a pre-snap read. He’s just an all-around player.”

Stowers produced three games of at least six catches and more than 100 yards last season, including his signature contest — six receptions for 113 yards in Vandy’s upset of No. 1 Alabama.

Who knows what Stowers — versatile enough that he’s thrown for one touchdown and run the ball 34 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns over three seasons — has in store for 2025?

“He’s got such a maturity … that complements his physical skills [and] put him among the best of the best,” Lea said. “He’s a good athlete, smart … lined up [in] the wildcat. He’s played quarterback in this system. We flex him out as receiver.

“We try to find matchups with him. He’s a trusted pair of hands for Diego.”

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman took his turn at SEC Media Days Thursday, answering a variety of questions concerning recruiting in the new-age NIL and transfer portal world. The head Hog discussed a ton that had already been covered here on HawgSports this summer, but one of the biggest takeaways was the optimism he showed toward revenue sharing helping the Razorbacks find their footing again.

Pittman discussed the current landscape with the SEC Now crew, saying coaches have more personal responsibility than ever to help guide young people who have just been handed large sums of money. Now, Pittman says, money may not cause as many problems under new the rev-share model. 

“So when you do that and you’re invested, and then let’s say our money wasn’t up to speed with some other universities, you lose a guy for $100,000. You lose him,” Pittman said. “They might lose all of us for $100,000 — you have to understand that, too. But (hypothetically) you lose a guy, then not only are you invested a year, two years of a young man, you’re invested in a young man of ‘how do you write a check, credit card, family’ all these things you’re invested in even more now — it hurts. When they walk out, it hurts.

“But you have to have some type of understanding if you can’t financially, or you don’t think — it’s easier if you don’t think they’re worth that kind of money — but if you don’t have it, it’s two totally different separations.

“Well, now with rev-share, we ought to all be the same. And again, I said it before, when we were the same, we went from 4-20 when I was hired to top 20 in two years. NIL came in, now we’ve been 7-6, 4-8, 7-6. I think this will do wonders for the University of Arkansas.”

Later, Pittman admitted to Dari Nowkhah that it’s been difficult to witness so many changes to a tradition-based game, but that he thinks the latest round of changes will swing back to helping the Hogs.

“Hard. You either go forward or you go… I think they’re going to change it, which, they are,” Pittman said. “Something’s going to change. But you’ve got to live in the now every day of what’s available to you right now. That’s why I changed to, ‘Okay, this is available to u, we need to get it’  And then if they say, ‘Well, you can’t have that. Shouldn’t have had that.’ ‘Well, we already have it.’ You know what I mean? And so I think the aggressive part of all the rule changes, we at the University of Arkansas are going more aggressive than what we ever have had whenever the rules change.”

ANOTHER NEEDED CHANGE

Having schools cover the majority of the bill for players is yet another massive change to college football as we know it, but the biggest and most wanted change is still to be determined: When is the transfer portal window, how long is it, and how many times in a calendar year will it be open?

It’s widely speculated, though not official, that we’ll soon be moving to a 10-day window that was originally penciled in for a start date of January 2. Two years ago, there was a 30-day window followed by a 15-day window in the spring. It shrunk to 20 days in December and 10 days in the spring this past year, and coaches would prefer an even shorter one-time window to further reduce the amount of time allowed for money-grab transfers.

Pittman was asked about the consequences of a changed environment, doubling down on the idea that a post-spring portal window makes no sense to college coaches.

“You know, it’s a little bit hypothetical,” Pittman said. “I will say this, I believe that some of our quality head coaches that are great head coaches, it may drive them into the NFL. I do believe that. But I do think we can make changes in what we’re doing right now and keep them in college football. I believe that. The answer is a little bit yes and no.

“I think if we cut down the portal and made it to one (window), I think that would keep a lot of guys interested. You have assistants going to the NFL and all that, too. I think that would keep them more into college ball.

“To me, opening the portal after you have spring ball is the craziest thing in the world. Why would you have spring ball, know your team, then five, six of them leave after spring ball? That makes no sense to me whatsoever. If you give a guy an opportunity to leave, I think that’s great. Go ahead. But it’s got to be somewhere, in my opinion, in early January or it shouldn’t happen at all.”

SOUNDS FAMILIAR…

Our Dead Period Deep Dive was a massive hit this summer, so it was nice to hear Pittman discuss a lot of the things we’ve already established over the summer. One of the biggest topics in Arkansas football recruiting these days is what’s going on inside the state, and Pittman was asked about it while speaking in the main room on Thursday.

“We have to go outside of our state,” Pittman said. “In-state recruiting has changed over the last three or four years because of NIL. So you have to think about the talent, who it is, versus what the pay is expected. So that’s been a little bit more difficult in our state. We like to stay within an eight-hour radius if we can. We’ve expanded that just a little bit, where our kids can come see us several different times.

“Financially with revenue sharing, I think now we’re back on even keel with everybody, which we weren’t … When we were even, we went 4-20 to top 20 in two years. I think the program has a chance to get back up to around those nine-plus wins than where we were before just simply because we have the finances to back that.

“We’ve got a good football team. We’ve got a good staff. We’ve got great facilities. We got a great state of fans at the University of Arkansas, the state of Arkansas. There’s no reason we can’t do it. If I was going to make an excuse, it would be financially is why we haven’t done quite as well as where we were projected my first two years. But I think now with it being even, I look out that the Razorbacks are coming on.”

Pittman also touched on another controversial topic that we’ve discussed this summer: how questions about job security have a greater impact on recruits from inside the state that hear it far more often than out-of-state targets who appear to be unbothered by the situation.

As he did when the questions began at the end of the 2023 season, Pittman pointed to recruiting as his only area of concern.

“I’m going to say this, the only ramifications of someone constantly having you on this list or this list, whatever other list, is recruiting,” Pittman said. “That’s the only thing. It seems to affect us a little bit more in the state of Arkansas because they’re up on the Razorbacks, they see more.

Now, how can we stop that? We win more games. That’s what we can do. Look, most everything a guy brings on him, he brings on himself. Most things that come out, you earn it. Now, you may disagree with some of it, all that. But I’ve earned it, I have. To get off that, we’ve got to win more games.”

During a recent segment on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Cowherd sparked discussion by drawing attention to what he sees as a growing imbalance in college football, caused by the controversial Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals. 

From Cowherd’s perspective, the NIL era has not leveled the playing field, but rather tilted things in favor of well-funded programs that can now dominate the recruiting landscape. 

“Texas is the most well-funded program right now in the country. They’ve got more money than anybody,” Cowherd said.

Cowherd pointed to a school like Texas, which has great donor backing and a massive alumni network, as an example of a program that can essentially buy its way into national recruiting battles by outspending other programs. 

While the NIL model was initially envisioned as a way to give student-athletes more control over their financial future, Cowherd believes it has now become a tool for wealthier programs to load their rosters with top-end recruits and transfers. 

He notes that this financial power has completely reshaped the recruiting process. Recruiting has become largely about who can offer the most attractive payment packages. 

“Alabama’s economy is not Texas’s economy. Go look up their GDP’s, gross domestic product, there’s a lot more money in Texas than Bama. And Nick Saban saw it and got out.” Cowherd stated.

This economic disparity, Cowherd argues, is the major deciding factor as to who wins recruiting battles. But it is not just about recruiting, either; it’s about who will dominate college football for years to come. 

Programs like Texas, Ohio State, and recently, Texas Tech, have aggressively embraced NIL, whereas other schools struggle to keep up due to a lack of resources. Even Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian acknowledges the shift; however, he offers an interesting perspective on how NIL is used in recruiting.

“One of the first things we do… we don’t talk about NIL or revenue sharing or publicity rights until the very end,” Sarkisian said at SEC Media Days. “And that may hurt us on some kids, but if a kid is coming to Texas for that reason, we don’t want them anyway.”

Still, Cowherd’s larger points remain the same: NIL is creating an imbalance in recruiting, and this is having a direct impact on who ultimately dominates the sport. 

Whether you are in favor of NIL or not, one thing is very clear: the sport needs stronger regulations. College football should not be a sport dictated by money; instead, it should be driven by great programs recruiting players who want to play for that coach, or that brand, or in that stadium, rather than for the money. 

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman says a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that went into effect this month has leveled the college football playing field in a good way.

Pittman said Arkansas now has a chance to compete on more even terms with other SEC powers like Georgia, Alabama and Texas. Pittman said at SEC media days that his program had previously dealt with a financial disadvantage against schools with more established name, image and likeness collectives since NIL payments began in 2022.

According to the terms of the House settlement, each school can now share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes.

“Financially, with revenue sharing, I think we are finally back on [an] even keel with everybody, which we weren’t,” said Pittman, whose team finished 7-6 in 2024. “If I was going to make an excuse, it would be financially is why we haven’t done quite as well. … But I think now with it being even, look out, the Razorbacks are coming.”

Pittman and most other coaches brought seniors and graduate players to represent their teams at SEC media days, which concluded Thursday. Pittman brought two 2021 recruits and a transfer, but Arkansas could have difficulty finding seniors next year from his original 2022 signing class because many members of that class have transferred.

Pittman, whose Razorbacks have earned bowl bids in four of his five seasons, said players have different reasons for transferring but that many were lured away from Arkansas by more attractive NIL packages at other schools. When asked about the 2022 class, Pittman said, “Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught.”

“That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances.”

The House settlement era began on July 1.

The enforcement of the House settlement is still being worked out as the new College Sports Commission informed athletic directors in letters last week that it was rejecting payments to players from collectives created only to pay players instead of as payment for NIL.

Some seniors at SEC media days said NIL payments and the transfer portal have contributed to their decisions to complete their eligibility instead of leaving school early to pursue opportunities in the NFL.

“I would most definitely say so,” Missouri offensive lineman Connor Tollison said. “Obviously, you know, you have a chance to make some money these days. … With the transfer portal, if you don’t have [a necessarily good] opportunity at this place you’re at, you have the chance to go somewhere else and get a fresh start. 

“It wasn’t necessarily something I experienced to my college career, but I’ve seen it. You know, it works for plenty of players. So yeah, I think it’s good for the players.”

When asked if NIL makes it easier for players to complete their eligibility, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, coming off a 4-8 season, said, “Listen, we all love our players, whether they’re one year in our program, six months, or four years.”

Linebacker Alex Afari, defensive back Jordan Lovett and tight end Josh Kattus were the seniors who accompanied Stoops to Atlanta. “Of course I love making money from name, image and likeness,” Lovett said. “But I love football first. You know, football was my first love. So I play for the game, not for money.”

Lovett added his primary motivation for returning was to earn his first win over Georgia.

“It’s the big part of college football now because some dudes just make decisions off, you know, the financial stuff,” Lovett said. “I love football. … I still haven’t, you know, beat Georgia yet. You know, Georgia’s one of my goals.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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