Why Florida's true freshman offensive duo looks like an elite pairing for the Gators' future

The Florida Gators picked up their fourth win of the season this past weekend, defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 48-20 to improve to 2-2 in conference play.

It was a dominant performance on multiple fronts as the Gators stormed ahead by 24 points in the second quarter before securing a blowout win in the second half.

The 48 points were a season-high, and they came at a time when the Gators were undergoing a significant change as 2024 five-star DJ Lagway was named the starting quarterback after Graham Mertz announced his season would end after a ACL tear ended in Florida's 23-17 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers last week.

Lagway, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound true freshman, had already made his first career start in Week 2 against Samford, throwing for 456 yards and three touchdowns on 18 of 25 passes, and has been rotating with Mertz since last week .

Against Kentucky, Lagway was an explosive machine, throwing for 259 yards on just seven completions.

Additionally, he tried to use his legs on several occasions, finishing with 46 yards on 10 carries (including sacks).

However, he finished with zero touchdowns. Why? Well, he was joined by four-star running back Jadan Baugh as the true freshman took over the starting role following an injury to top defensive lineman Montrell Johnson.

As a result, Baugh took advantage of his opportunities, rushing for 106 yards and five touchdowns on 22 carries against the SEC's third-best run defense in a monster day for the freshman.

Baugh had seen his chances slowly increase over the course of the season, earning 12 runs against Tennessee, but this was by far his biggest volume of the season and he took advantage of it with great performances.

Going into the season, many wondered how well Florida could play this year as they faced one of the toughest, if not the toughest schedule in the country. But thanks to wins over Samford, Mississippi State, UCF and now Kentucky, the Gators are 4-3 so far heading into the brutal portion of their schedule.

Things don't get any easier from here, however, as Florida faces four straight opponents, with No. 2 Georgia, No. 5 Texas, No. 8 LSU and No. 18 Ole Miss coming in consecutive weeks.

Still, the trend is in the right direction for the Gators, who have had to rely on their talented true freshmen on offense due to injuries and have been rewarded with good play against strong opponents so far.

These next four matchups will be a big test for Lagway and Co. as they try to navigate muddy waters, but the five-star recruit is showing glimpses of his potential every week, which can only bode well for the Gators future can be.

Furthermore, it looks like Florida has found a diamond in the rough with Baugh's emergence, and one can only assume the four-star freshman will continue to be a key part of the offense even with top defenseman Montrell Johnson entering the league returns folds.

Even though it didn't look that way in the ugly 17:41 loss to the Miami Hurricanes in the opening game, the Gators' future looks bright at the moment.