Florida Gators Fans Are Focused On The Wrong Injury

Even the most casual football observers know that the quarterback is the most important position on the team, if not in all of sports.

The Florida Gators believe they have a transcendental talent at the position in rising sophomore DJ Lagway.

The problem with Lagway, though, is his propensity for injury, including a few high-profile bumps and bruises this offseason.

Many in both the national media and on the beat in Gainesville believe Lagway will be good to go by week 1, as the young signal caller has already taken part in a couple of highly scrutinized throwing sessions to start fall camp.

That hasn't stopped the talking heads from speculating on Lagway's health ad nauseam, though.

The problem isn't that fans and media alike are focused on training camp injuries. Every fanbase at all levels is guilty of that.

The issue here is that we may be focusing on the wrong injured player.

DJ Lagway has taken every precaution with his leg and shoulder injuries and should be fine, but the Gators have a certain freshman phenom by the name of Dallas Wilson who has quietly picked up a foot injury that has landed him in a cast to start fall camp, and that alone could put a ceiling on Florida's offense this season.

I'm no doctor, but wearing a hard cast doesn't sound like an injury that takes a week or two to heal from.

For those unaware, Dallas Wilson is a former five-star uber-talent who is expected to be a focal point in the Gators' offense this season.

I wrote about Wilson a few weeks ago when identifying impact true freshmen, and according to those close to the program, the precocious pass-catcher is as good as advertised.

The Gators have other weapons at wide receiver, including former Freshman All-SEC selection Eugene Wilson, but there hasn't been a talent like this in Gainesville in quite some time.

Wilson has a rare blend of size (listed at 6'3" and 215lbs after summer workouts) and speed (rumored to have run a 4.49 40-yard dash his senior year of high school) that is hard to find in most college players, let alone 18-year-old freshmen.

His performance in Florida's spring game should tell you everything you need to know.

If Wilson misses any extended time this season, it could hinder the Gators' efforts on offense.

Billy Napier's scheme isn't going to be mistaken for the likes of Lane Kiffin's or Steve Sarkesian's, but when run to its Platonic ideal, it is effective, using a heavy dose of zone running to open up the deep passing game through play action.

Lagway has already proven to be an uncanny deep ball thrower, and now he has a legitimate threat at receiver to take the top off the defense, provided he can stay healthy.

Fans in North Florida had better pray the reports about Dallas Wilson's injury timeline are true.

Otherwise, it could be another pedestrian year for Billy Napier's offense, and Hell hath no fury like a Gator fan who isn't watching their team light up the scoreboard.

No amount of Netflix documentaries will be enough to fix that.