In a post on his Instagram account, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway announced Monday morning that he plans to enter the transfer portal.
“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have been part of such an incredible program here at the University of Florida,” Lagway said. “After much prayer, reflection, and thoughtful consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal.”
Lagway was a five-star prospect in the 2024 class. According to the 247Sports Composite, he was nation’s #7 overall player in the class, the #2 QB and the #2 player out of the state of Texas.
As a true freshman in 2024, Florida posted a 6-1 record in Lagway’s seven starts. In 12 games, he completed 115-of-192 passes (59.6%) for 1,915 yards with a 12/9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He added 101 rushing yards, averaging 2.0 yards per carry.
As a sophomore this past season, Lagway started all 12 games for the Gators, who limped to an abysmal 4-8 straight-up record and a 4-7-1 ATS mark. Billy Napier was fired after a 3-4 start.
Lagway connected on 213-of-337 throws (63.2%) for 2,264 yards with a 16/14 TD-INT ratio. His 14 picks were the most in the SEC and second-most nationally.
Lagway’s sophomore campaign started going in the wrong direction in Week 3 when he was intercepted five times and threw a costly pick-six in a 20-10 loss at LSU. In a 26-7 Week 4 loss at Miami, Lagway completed 12-of-23 passes for only 61 yards.
Lagway’s best moments at UF came in November of his freshman season when led his team to wins over #22 LSU and #9 Ole Miss in back-to-back weeks at The Swamp. The Gators also won at FSU and beat Tulane in their bowl game to finish the year on a four-game winning streak.
But Lagway didn’t throw at all in spring practice and missed most of training camp due to calf and shoulder injuries. The lack of reps clearly impacted his play.
Lagway has elite arm talent, but he’s still struggling to read defenses and make sound decisions. A fresh start and new voices in terms of his coaches should be good for the Willis High School (TX.) product.
There will certainly be lots of schools vying for Lagway’s services. Per On3’s Pete Nakos, the early schools to watch for Lagway include LSU, Miami and Baylor.
“DJ never wanted to leave Florida, but I think the new coaching staff with their communication, or lack thereof, kind of made it clear where they stood with DJ,” Lagway’s agent Deiric Jackson told Gators Online.
“They didn’t let it be known from their side he was a guy that was wanted,” Jackson said. “Clearly, if they thought he was a guy they wanted, they would have made it known. They would have been like, ‘Hey, we want you, we want you to come in and compete.’ But it was more so of, ‘You can stay if you want to.’ That’s not a place where you want to be. They talked about everything but the fact of where DJ stood.”
Jackson told Gators Online that the decision to enter the portal “has been tough” on Lagway.
“He loved being a Gator,” Jackson said. “I don’t think anyone represented that logo harder than him. You know, he even recruited and tried to get top talent there.”
Florida signed one QB in the 2025 and 2026 classes in Tramell Jones and Will Griffin, respectively. As a true freshman, Jones appeared in two games and completed 21-of-35 passes (60.0%) for 191 yards and two TDs without an interception.
Per the 247Sports Composite, Griffin is a four-star prospect. He’s ranked as the #223 player in the 2026 class, the #14 QB and the #29 player from the state of Florida.