QB DJ Lagway, former 5-star prospect, transferring from Florida to Baylor: Sources
Lagway, the No. 9 player in The Athletic's transfer quarterback rankings, entered the transfer portal last week after two years at Florida.
Florida quarterback transfer DJ Lagway is expected to land at Baylor, two sources briefed on the decision confirmed Thursday.
Lagway, the No. 9 player in The Athletic’s transfer quarterback rankings, entered the portal last week. He announced in December that he intended to transfer from Florida, the school he signed with as a five-star recruit in the 2024 signing class.
By joining Baylor, the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Texas native returns to his home state and a program he is familiar with. His father, Derek Lagway, played running back for Baylor from 1997 to 2001.
Lagway fills a major need for the Bears, as departing starting quarterback Sawyer Robertson has exhausted his eligibility. Lagway’s signing should also give Baylor’s transfer portal class a major boost, and even though his two years at Florida didn’t go as planned, his name still carries weight in the Lone Star State. He was the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year and the No. 7 overall recruit in the 247Sports Composite when he signed with the Gators in December 2023.
Lagway had an encouraging start to his Florida career, going 6-1 as a starter as a true freshman in place of the injured Graham Mertz. However, Lagway also battled injuries during his Florida tenure and those issues hampered his offseason. He had an underwhelming 2025 season, throwing for 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 12 starts.
The Bears were the last of three schools to host Lagway on an official visit, following Florida State and Virginia. Lagway was spotted at Baylor’s men’s basketball game at Foster Pavilion on Thursday night in Waco, sitting with head coach Dave Aranda and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital during the Bears’ 70-60 home loss to No. 3 Iowa State.
The 2026 season will be a pivotal one for Aranda and the Bears. Baylor president Linda Livingstone announced in November that she would bring Aranda back for a seventh season, despite underwhelming results in recent years. Aranda is 36-37 in six seasons and 16-21 in the last three seasons. Baylor won the Big 12 championship in 2021, going 12-2, but hasn’t won more than eight games in a season since.