By Jackson Posey | Sports Editor
After two years at Florida, former five-star quarterback and Gatorade Player of the Year DJ Lagway committed to Baylor on Thursday morning. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Lagway started most of the past two seasons at Florida, completing 62.0% of his passes for 4,179 yards, 28 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He has elite arm strength and above-average athleticism as a runner, but struggled with turnovers as a sophomore.
After taking over the starting job full-time in 2024, Lagway flourished, leading the Gators to four straight wins to finish the season, including over No. 21 LSU and No. 9 Ole Miss. But the Gators struggled to reach those highs in 2025. Head coach Billy Napier was fired in October after a 3-4 start and Lagway was briefly benched after throwing three first-half interceptions against Kentucky.
The 6-foot-3, 247-pound signal-caller was a top-10 prospect in the class of 2024, per the 247Sports Composite. He ranked one spot behind top quarterback Julian Sayin, who signed with Alabama and became a Heisman Trophy finalist at Ohio State.
Lagway is a Baylor legacy with strong ties to the program. His father, Derek Lagway Sr., collected 1,190 career scrimmage yards as a running back for the Bears from 1997-2001. The younger Lagway starred at Willis High School, 150 miles from Baylor’s campus, passing for a Class 6A-record 58 touchdowns as a senior and winning a slew of awards, including Mr. Texas Football and MaxPreps National Player of the Year. He included Baylor in his top five before settling on the Gators.
During his official visit on Wednesday, Lagway and his family attended a men’s basketball game at Foster Pavilion with head football coach Dave Aranda. He committed the following morning.
Lagway played multiple sports in high school, including basketball and baseball. As a freshman, he started at safety and earned an offer to Houston as a pitcher.
Lagway is the latest in a long list of talented quarterbacks to play for offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. Across multiple stops as an offensive coordinator, Spavital has coached Big 12 passing leader Sawyer Robertson, future Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and future NFL signal-callers Will Grier, Davis Webb and Kyle Allen.
“The main thing I look for [in quarterbacks] is arm strength,” Spavital said at his introductory press conference in December 2023. “Are they capable of making all the throws?”
Lagway will be tasked with leading a Baylor team that loses 10 offensive starters from 2025, including the top six skill position players. The Bears’ first real test could feel like another SEC game for the Florida product: a showdown with Auburn on Sept. 5 in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
