DJ Lagway Receives High Praise from College Football Expert

DJ Lagway Receives High Praise from College Football Expert originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

There has been a lot of talk about the Florida Gators this offseason. Heading into the 2025 college football season, Florida can become a scary opponent for SEC teams.

A big reason for head coach Billy Napier and the Gators' high expectations this year is their star quarterback. DJ Lagway, who will be a sophomore this fall, is coming off an incredible freshman season in 2024.

The former five-star's potential has caught the eye of many around the sport. This includes On3's Andy Staples, who released his SEC quarterback rankings, putting Florida's signal caller among the best in the conference.

Staples labeled Lagway the top quarterback in the SEC, ahead of LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and Texas's Arch Manning.

Lagway was the No. 1 quarterback in the country coming out of Willis High School in Texas, according to Rivals. He was the 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year after recording a ludicrous 129 total touchdowns in his high school career, per MaxPreps.

As a freshman last year, Lagway played in 12 games, making seven starts in place of an injured Graham Mertz. He went 6-1 as a starter, throwing for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 154.9 passer rating was the best among freshman quarterbacks in the nation. This led to a selection on the Football Writers Association of America's Freshman All-America Team.

Due to his impressive 2024 performance and the potential he's shown throughout his football career, Lagway has drawn high expectations from experts. With less than two months until the Gators begin their season, Florida fans will soon find out if Lagway can live up to the hype in 2025.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.