Urban Meyer had 'Chosen One' Tim Tebow. Billy Napier needs 'The Savior' | Toppmeyer

• 'The Chosen One' galvanized Urban Meyer’s tenure. Billy Napier needs 'The Savior' to rescue his.
• Florida quarterback DJ Lagway looked the part of blue-chip freshman during his first spring practice.
• Billy Napier could meld Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway like the 2006 Gators used Chris Leak and Tim Tebow.

By the time Tim Tebow arrived on Florida’s campus, he’d been dubbed “The Chosen One.” As far as prophecies go, this one hit the mark better than most. Tebow became the Gators’ golden boy, and now a bronze statue outside The Swamp immortalizes him.

“The Chosen One” galvanized Urban Meyer’s tenure.

Billy Napier needs “The Savior” to rescue his.

I’m referring to DJ Lagway, Florida’s blue-chip freshman quarterback whom Napier signed even while other top prospects fled UF’s recruiting class as if The Swamp was a house afire.

I’m wasting no time in anointing “The Savior,” because Napier cannot afford to slow-play the ballyhooed rookie’s SEC initiation. The dreaded "embattled coach" label properly fits Napier. His future is hitched to Lagway.

I’m not suggesting Napier should announce Lagway as Florida’s starter during this first week of spring practice. That would be a move of utter desperation. Napier doesn’t do desperation, and even a “Savior” may require an ounce of seasoning. Anyway, Florida’s got a decent veteran quarterback in Graham Mertz. The Wisconsin transfer played better than I ever thought he would last season.

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Two can be better than one.

Napier ought to dust off the Leak-Bow page from Urb’s playbook and reinvigorate a program that used to be known for offensive innovation. In 2006, Meyer melded veteran Chris Leak and Tebow, then a freshman, into a championship combination. (Yes, the Gators’ sturdy defense also had much to do with that team’s success.)

Leak retained a hand on the wheel of the offense, but Meyer implemented Tebow in short-yardage and red-zone situations. Steve Spurrier’s Fun ‘n’ Gun gave way to Meyer’s Gun ‘n’ Run.

I’m envisioning something similar this year. Call Mertz-Lagway the Toss ‘n’ Boss. If there’s any doubt who the ‘Boss’ is, peep the 6-foot-3, 241-pound freshman who is gone in a gallop and appears to have been custom made in a stud factory. Lagway’s prep highlights make him out to be an amalgam of Cam Newton and Patrick Mahomes.

Hyperbole? Perhaps for now. But you can’t watch clips of Lagway shredding Texas 6A defenses with his legs and his big arm and not ponder what he might achieve.

Sun Belt Billy’s got himself an SEC quarterback.

Boy, does he need him. Heck, Napier could use 11 more Lagways running around on defense.

Napier is backed into a corner, and I don’t see many avenues out. Lagway holds the keys to an escape hatch that’s as small as a thimble.

They say The Swamp is a place where only Gators get out alive, but Napier is the one underwater, and Gators appear on the verge of eating their own.

Even the Head Ball Coach sounds skeptical of a coach who is 11-14 after two seasons at Florida.

“There’s a feeling around the Gators of, ‘What the heck are we doing?' ” Spurrier recently told the Florida Times-Union.

Napier needs a change in narrative like he needs a fresh buzz cut after a day sweating through the Florida humidity.

Nothing accelerates a new narrative quite like a freshman quarterback taking flight.

With so much on the line, and with a schedule as stiff as Florida’s, Napier can’t afford to relegate Lagway to mop-up duty. Mertz remains valuable, but Lagway embodies physical gifts the elder statesman will never possess. The same was said of Leak and Tebow.

After I’d finished reviewing Lagway’s high school highlights on Thursday, I cued up a video Gainesville Sun beat writer Kevin Brockway recorded of Lagway completing a pass during his first spring practice.

ZIP. A dart to Taylor Spierto.

Brockway’s practice report told tale of a sizzling spring debut for the freshman.

And Mertz’s assessment?

“He’s elite,” the veteran told reporters.

True, it’s easier when you’re tossing passes like it’s a Sunday afternoon in the backyard with your buddies. The challenge stiffens when it’s the best 11 from Miami, Georgia, Texas or Florida State across the line of scrimmage.  

Napier’s challenge is immense. Florida’s schedule is fierce. Its defense seems to lack the stars of yore. Even dyed-in-the-wool Gators are questioning Napier’s leadership. “The Chosen One” isn’t walking through that door, but what about a Savior?

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

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