Florida quarterback DJ Lagway announced Monday that he intends to enter the transfer portal.
A five-star recruit out of high school, the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Texas native signed with Florida in December 2023 as arguably the Gators’ most important recruit since Tim Tebow. He was Gatorade’s national high school player of the year and the No. 7 overall recruit in the 247Sports Composite.
Lagway made an immediate impact last season as a freshman, leading Florida to a 6-1 record in his starts after he replaced the injured Graham Mertz. His success was a promising sign for the future and one reason why embattled coach Billy Napier kept his job heading into this fall.
Lagway battled multiple injuries during his Florida tenure, including a leg issue during the 2024 season, a shoulder concern this spring and a tweaked calf during the preseason. The offseason injuries hampered his development and led to a bumpy 2025: 16 touchdown passes, 14 interceptions and the second-lowest passing efficiency in the SEC (127.00). His lack of progress helped lead to Napier’s firing in October. Florida hired Tulane’s Jon Sumrall as its next head coach, while Napier is taking over James Madison.
Although Lagway’s turnovers made him a scapegoat in some corners of the Florida fan base, his departure — assuming he does transfer — will still resonate. He was the face of the program who had NIL deals with two major firms with Florida connections, Gatorade and the Jordan Brand.
Over two seasons, Lagway completed 62 percent of his passes for 4,179 yards. He also rushed for 237 yards and a touchdown.
Some of Lagway’s final suitors in the high school recruiting process included Clemson, Baylor, USC and Texas A&M.
What will the transfer market look like for Lagway?
Despite the struggles he had in Gainesville, there will be no shortage of suitors for Lagway. His pure physical talent, with both enticing size and arm strength. He’ll still be a prospect who can command a handsome seven-figure payday from a quarterback-needy team because he’ll be one of the best QBs available.
The question is, what does Lagway want? Does he want to return to his home state of Texas? If so, Baylor would make a ton of sense. His father played there, the Bears were in on his recruitment coming out of high school and Baylor star QB Sawyer Robertson has exhausted his eligibility.
If he’s looking to stay in the SEC, LSU and Vanderbilt are both expected to be in the quarterback transfer market this cycle, with Garrett Nussmeier and Diego Pavia on their way out. There are plenty of QB-needy teams elsewhere. Miami has had great success with transfer quarterbacks, as has Indiana and both schools are also losing their quarterbacks. It comes down to what Lagway is looking for from a fit perspective. — Sam Khan Jr., senior college football writer
