Elite QB DJ Lagway commits to Florida: 'I love what Coach Napier is doing'

On3 imageby:Sam Spiegelman12/07/22

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DJ Lagway spent the fall on the road getting a closer look at the schools weighing heaviest on his mind. In the end, not one but two visits to The Swamp provided him with enough conviction that Florida was the fit.

The No. 7 player in the On300 for 2024, Lagway, committed to the Gators on Wednesday over USC. Texas A&M, Clemson and also Baylor, Lagway’s father’s alma mater, were also in the mix late for one of the biggest dominoes in next year’s recruiting class.

Ultimately, the second visit back to Gainesville alongside his teammates and entire family moved the needle in favor of Billy Napier’s Gators.

“I knew on my last visit up there,” Lagway told On3. “I had a really great time with my whole family with me. We all enjoyed it and I love what Coach Napier is doing up there in Gainesville and I’m excited to continue to see what he does.

… Florida checks all the boxes, from the depth chart and the way that Anthony Richardson played this season. I love the offense that Coach Napier brings to the table and I feel like I fit in perfectly in there like Anthony Richardson did last year. We play similarly and I know I can grow and develop as more of a player and a person off the field at Florida.”

Lagway aims to play early

Lagway was well-traveled this fall and saw not only Florida twice, but Texas A&M two times, USC, Clemson, Arkansas, LSU, Baylor and the Cotton Bowl to take in Oklahoma vs. Texas. As the family logged up the mileage, he gained more and more clarity about his decision.

The On3 Consensus No. 21 overall player credited not only Napier, but quarterbacks coach Ryan O’Hara and assistant Joe Hamilton, a Houston native, who helped land the state’s top 2024 player.

“I have a great relationship with the entire Florida staff,” he said. “I talk to Coach Joe (Hamilton) all the time, four or five times a week. We have a good relationship and I can talk to him about stuff off the field and I’m comfortable with those guys.”

… When I was there, learning how they run things and how the meetings are structured,” Lagway continued. “I loved how they interacted with the players, talking to them and teaching them and helping them learn and just say telling them, making sure they grasped it.”

Lagway is the nation’s No. 3 junior quarterback, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average.

DJ Lagway Scouting Summary

“Strong-armed quarterback prospect who possesses a thicker build with solid measurables for the position. Checked in at 6-foot-2.3 and 225 pounds during the camp circuit prior to his junior season. Has the arm strength to make throws at every level of the field, including ones from the far hash. Efficient with his movements in the pocket and comfortable working outside the pocket. Arm talent shines when forced to throw from multiple arm slots or off-platform. Will need to continue progressing with his accuracy as a passer – completed 55 percent of his passes as a sophomore at under 7 yards per attempt. A touted two-sport athlete who has also received multiple Power Five offers as a baseball player.”