Anonymous SEC coach believes DJ Lagway could compete with Arch Manning as league's top QB

DJ Lagway enters his sophomore season in 2025 under a microscope. The expectation is for him to be an elite signal caller in college football, and for him to make a massive leap forward in his first full year as Florida‘s starting quarterback.

Lagway has drawn praise across the board for the abilities he showcased as a true freshman, not to mention his 6-1 record as a starter. Coming in as a five-star prospect, Lagway has lived up to expectations thus far. Many around the league, including some coaches, believe that he’ll continue to turn heads in 2025.

“Lagway could compete with Arch [Manning] for best QB in the league,” one anonymous SEC coach told Athlon Sports.

Manning is set to take over the reigns as starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns after sitting behind Quinn Ewers for two seasons. Also a former five-star recruit, it’s clear that both quarterbacks are expected to be great right away in 2025.

Another coach said that if Lagway can stay healthy, there’s no reason why Florida can’t improve. A third said that Lagway and the offensive line appear to be “legit enough” to bring Florida back to its days as a top SEC offense.

“If they can be in the hunt for a playoff bid and start scoring points like those old Gator programs, I think he’ll be off the hot seat for a while,” the coach said.

More coaches criticized their depth at wide receiver, praised their abilities defensively despite their youth, while others focused on how head coach Billy Napier can use Florida’s positive momentum to begin competing for the playoffs — as early as this fall.

Napier appeared to be on the head coaching hot seat after posting an 11-14 record during his first two seasons as head coach with the Florida Gators. The program missed out on the postseason in 2024, but took a giant leap forward in 2024 after Lagway joined the program. Whether these go hand-in-hand is up for debate, but it’s clear that Florida is being looked at differently with Lagway under center.

During his true freshman season, Lagway threw for 1,915 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions on a 59.9% completion percentage. He also added an additional 101 sack-adjusted yards to his overall yardage total during his freshman season. His dual-threat abilities will likely be on display more often in during his sophomore season.

A nagging shoulder injury limited his participation during spring training, but Lagway figures to be healthy in time for fall camp and, more importantly, the start of the regular season. The Gators will begin its schedule during Week 1 against Long Island in Gainesville.