DJ Lagway
SchoolBaylor Bears
Currentnumber12
CurrentpositionQuarterback
ClassJunior
Birth dateAugust 13, 2005 (age 21)
Birth placeWillis, Texas, U.S.
Height6 ft
Height in3
Weight lb239
Highlights
HighschoolWillis (Willis, Texas)
Pastschools
Espn5079555

Derek "DJ" Lagway Jr. (born August 13, 2005) is an American college football player for the Baylor Bears. He previously played for the Florida Gators.

Early life

Lagway attended Willis High School in Willis, Texas.[1][2] As a junior in 2022, he passed for 2,081 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions.[3] Prior to his senior season in 2023, Lagway participated in the Elite 11.[4] As a senior, he passed for 4,631 yards with a Texas Class 6A record 58 touchdown passes, and added 975 rushing yards with 15 touchdowns.[5][6] He was named the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year,[7] MaxPreps National Player of the Year[8] and Mr. Texas Football.[9] For his career, Lagway had 8,392 passing yards and 100 passing touchdowns with 2,196 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns.[10]

A five-star recruit, Lagway committed to the University of Florida to play college football.[11][12][13]

College career

Florida

2024: Freshman season

Lagway entered his true freshman season with the Florida Gators in 2024 as the backup to Graham Mertz.[14] After Mertz was placed in concussion protocol following the season opener against Miami, Lagway was named the starting quarterback against Samford.[15] In his first ever start, Lagway threw for 456 yards and 3 touchdowns.[16] Over the following few games, Lagway split playing time with Mertz.[17] Mertz suffered a season-ending injury against Tennessee and Lagway was inserted as the team's starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.[18]

Lagway's first game after Mertz's injury was a 48-20 victory over rival Kentucky. In his start against Georgia, Lagway suffered a left hamstring injury and was carted off.[19] After missing only one game of action, he returned for the final three games of the regular season, defeating #22 LSU, #9 Ole Miss, and Florida State.[20] He also started when the Gators defeated Tulane 33-8 in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl.

In his seven starts, he helped lead Florida to a 6–1 record and a bowl win.[21]

2025: Sophomore season

Lagway opened the season as the starting quarterback.[22] Against the LSU Tigers he suffered the worst performance of his career, finishing 33 of 49 for 287 yards, one touchdown, and 5 interceptions.[23] The Gators lost the game 20-10, with one of the two touchdowns allowed coming off of a Lagway interception. Against the Texas Longhorns, Lagway passed for 298 yards in the Gators 29-21 victory and he was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week.[24][25] Lagway followed up his performance against Texas by throwing for two touchdowns in a loss versus Texas A&M, as well as two interceptions in a win versus Mississippi State, after which Florida coach Billy Napier was fired and wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales was elevated to interim head coach. On December 15, 2025, Lagway announced he was entering the NCAA transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility remaining.

Baylor

2026: Junior season

On January 8, 2026, Lagway committed to the Baylor Bears, becoming the highest rated recruit to ever play for Baylor.[26]

Statistics

SeasonTeamGamesPassingRushing
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsAvgTDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTD
2024Florida1276−111519259.91,91510.0129154.9501012.00
2025Florida12124–821333763.22,2646.71614127.0711361.91
Career241910–932852962.04,1797.92823137.11222371.91

Personal life

He is the son of Derek and Nikita Nephew Lagway. His father, Derek Lagway, played college football at Baylor University.[27]

References

  1. ^ Montaño, Alvaro (September 21, 2023). "DJ Lagway, Willis finding a groove early in season". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  2. ^ Shugan, Zach (2024-07-22). "DJ Lagway, Florida Gators 5-star quarterback commit, continues dominant senior year". Capital Journal. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  3. ^ Taylor, G. Allan (2022-12-08). "Taylor: Gators' addition of 5-star quarterback DJ Lagway signals better days ahead". The Athletic. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  4. ^ Silva II, Dennis (2023-06-12). "Willis' Lagway excited for Elite 11 finals". The Courier of Montgomery County. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  5. ^ Thompson, Edgar (2023-12-20). "QB DJ Lagway checks all boxes for Gators coach Billy Napier". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  6. ^ Silva II, Dennis (2023-11-24). "Willis QB D.J. Lagway nears state TD passing record". The Courier of Montgomery County. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  7. ^ "2024 National Winners - USA Today High School Sports Awards". SportsAwards.USAToday.com. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  8. ^ Poorman, Jon (2023-12-19). "Willis QB D.J. Lagway named MaxPreps National Player of the Year". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  9. ^ "No. 1 QB DJ Lagway Signs with Florida: 'I'm Even More a Gator'". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. 2023-12-25. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  10. ^ Tate, Rob (2023-12-20). "Unswayed by late overtures, Willis' D.J. Lagway signs with Florida". The Courier of Montgomery County. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  11. ^ Baumgartner, Blake (2022-12-07). "Lagway, top-dual threat QB for '24, picks Gators". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  12. ^ Kercheval, Ben (2022-12-07). "Florida football recruiting: DJ Lagway, four-star QB prospect in 2024 class, commits to Gators". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  13. ^ Wasserman, Ari (February 7, 2023). "Why 5-star QB DJ Lagway is the perfect recruit at the perfect time for Florida". The Athletic. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  14. ^ Dubbin, Adam (August 26, 2024). "ESPN predicts DJ Lagway's role with Florida during his freshman year". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  15. ^ Adelson, Andrea (2024-09-04). "With Mertz out, UF to start freshman QB Lagway". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  16. ^ "Florida 45-7 Samford (Sep 7, 2024) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  17. ^ Brockway, Kevin. "Florida football: Billy Napier says UF will use QBs DJ Lagway, Graham Mertz in SEC opener vs Texas A&M". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  18. ^ Smajovits, Harrison (October 14, 2024). "DJ Lagway Starting QB Going Forward for Florida Gators". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  19. ^ "Lagway Injured, Carted Off Field". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  20. ^ "Florida Gators 2024 Regular Season NCAAF Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  21. ^ "DJ Lagway 2024 Stats per Game - NCAAF". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  22. ^ Carter, Scott & Writer, Senior (2025-08-30). "Press Conference | Napier Says Lagway To Start Opener". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  23. ^ Harry, Chris & Writer, Senior (2025-08-30). "FINAL: No. 3 LSU 20, Florida 10". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  24. ^ Harry, Chris & Writer, Senior (2025-08-30). "FINAL: Florida 29, No. 9 Texas 21". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  25. ^ "SEC Football Players of the Week: Oct. 6". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  26. ^ Jeyarajah, Shehan & Hummer, Chris (January 8, 2026). "DJ Lagway transferring to Baylor as former No. 1 QB prospect looks to reinvigorate career with Bears". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  27. ^ Davenport, Richard (2022-03-13). "Elite QB has 'amazing' Arkansas visit". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved 2024-07-05.