When they were roommates at the Elite 11 Finals 17 months ago, Luke Kromenhoek and DJ Lagway may have talked about the possibility of one day facing off against each other.

They were committed to play quarterback at Florida State and Florida, respectively, and competing in the annual event for the best quarterbacks in each year's recruiting class.

But they certainly didn't expect that first face-off as opponents to come so quickly.

The pair of true freshmen will face off as starting quarterbacks Saturday when FSU (2-9, 1-7 in ACC) hosts rival Florida (6-5, 4-4 in SEC) at Doak Campbell Stadium (7 p.m. on ESPN2) less than a year after they arrived on their respective campuses in January.

"That was my Elite 11 roommate. When we went out to California, they put us together," Kromenhoek said of Lagway last Saturday after the Seminoles' win over Charleston Southern. "He's a great person, a great quarterback. He's had a ton of success. For both of us to be out there on the field, I think that would be awesome to have two true freshman out there."

Both Kromenhoek and Lagway were coveted recruits. Lagway was the No. 28 overall prospect and No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the 2024 class, while Kromenhoek ranked 96th overall and as the No. 7 pro-style quarterback.

Kromenhoek committed early to the Seminoles after they were his first offer and remained totally loyal. Lagway also committed early and also chose to stick with the Gators after some wavering late in the process.

Their first seasons with their new teams have in many ways paralleled their team's seasons as a whole. Kromenhoek didn't make his first appearance for FSU until the seventh game of the season at Duke. He split time with Brock Glenn in each of his first four games.

With an underperforming surrounding cast on offense, the Savannah, Ga., native didn't throw his first touchdown until making his first career start in Saturday's 41-7 win over Charleston Southern. In that game, he threw three touchdowns and had 209 passing yards — more than the 153 passing yards he had in his first four games combined.

While the opponent was overmatched there, it's fair to wonder if Kromenhoek could have built some confidence off his first real success that he can carry into the Florida game.

FSU head coach Mike Norvell started talking about the Seminoles' upcoming rivalry game in the locker room right after the CSU game concluded. But Kromenhoek admitted after the win that he's been thinking about it and looking forward to it a lot longer than that.

"I think coming into this season, it was something that I was thinking about. I understand how important that rivalry game is so it's always been in the back of my head," Kromenhoek said. "As it has come closer, obviously we want to cherish this win and celebrate it, but (Sunday) when we come ready to work, we know what we're coming to work for. It's to go and win that rivalry game."

Lagway, on the other hand, started playing much quicker for the Gators. An injury to UF starter Graham Mertz thrust the true freshman into action in Florida's first game of the season vs. Miami.

He started the following week, split time with Mertz after that and has started four of Florida's last five games after the veteran suffered a season-ending injury. Although his freshman season has had some growing pains, there's been one undeniable communality. The Gators are 4-0 in games Lagway played all of this season with wins over Samford, Kentucky, then-No. 22 LSU and then-No. 9 Ole Miss.

"Until we started watching the film, I didn't realize really how good I think he's gonna be," FSU special teams coordinator/defensive ends coach John Papuchis said of Lagway. "He's a really good player, throws the ball well, obviously has some mobility in his game. He can run both quarterback-designed runs but also get himself out of trouble in the passing game."

On paper, Lagway's stats aren't remarkably impressive. He has 1,477 passing yards, nine touchdown passes and six interceptions. However, those numbers don't pay tribute to one asset which has proven to be quite an asset to his game immediately upon his introduction. Lagway has a cannon for an arm.

Florida is tied for eighth nationally with 12 passes of 40+ yards this season. Lagway has thrown all 12 of those. If he had thrown enough passes to be eligible, his 10.9 yards per pass attempt this season would rank second nationally, a tenth of a yard behind Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.

"As he's progressed throughout the year, he's playing with more confidence as the year's gone on. He's made some big strides throughout the course of the year. He's definitely a player that you've got impressive arm talent, can throw the ball all across the field. He's done a good job of extending plays," Norvell said of Lagway. "When things break down or if he needs to be able to move, he keeps his eyes down the field and can definitely hurt you if you don't stick in your coverage. Then he's obviously athletic enough to be able to make you pay with his legs as well. So I think he's a very talented young man, but it's also one that's been able to play with more confidence with each rep that he's gotten in the different situations that he's found himself in. So he's playing his best ball of the year here at the end of it."

Even though he's just a freshman, Lagway could prove to be quite a challenge for an FSU secondary that, while it hasn't been the weakness of the defense, has allowed 14 touchdown passes and has just three interceptions on the season.

Column: FSU may have made long-term QB decision with Kromenhoek start

Freshman report: Seminoles on defense make debuts, redshirt tracker

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