EXCLUSIVE: DJ Lagway 'Definitely' to Return by Big 12 Play, Will Showcase 'His Brand of Football'
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The Baylor Bears might take the field without starting quarterback DJ Lagway this weekend, but his injury-related absence shouldn't extend beyond that game. In a wide-ranging conversation with Baylor Bears On SI, Lagway made clear that he intends to return to action no later than Week 4's intraconference matchup with the Colorado Buffaloes.
"By conference play, I should definitely be out there, feeling good, and playing my brand of football," Lagway said Thursday.
Lagway suffered a significant ankle sprain on the opening drive of Baylor's season opener. He managed to continue playing, gutting through the rest of the afternoon while wearing a bulky wrap around his right foot. Still, the injury materially affected his mobility. Lagway ran the ball twice before receiving medical treatment but didn't register another carry for the remainder of the contest.
The following Monday, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda described Lagway's status as "day-to-day." However, by the end of the week, it became apparent that the quarterback's ankle injury had not progressed enough to justify playing against the Prairie View A&M Panthers. Nate Bennett started in Lagway's place, leading the Bears to their first victory of the season.
While Lagway certainly doesn't care to sit out games, he has other ways of staying engaged with his teammates.
"I feel like, with being a leader, that happens on and off the field," Lagway said. "As a leader, you can't turn it on and turn it off. You're always on. I wasn't able to play this past week. Being able to be a great leader to my teammates, being able to encourage my backup and make sure that he was set on the game plan, and being able to encourage the players around him so they can play their hardest for him so we could get the W, that's what it's all about.
"I'm thinking about the team and doing whatever is best for the team."
Though Lagway serves as the on-field face of Baylor football, his allegiance to the program only began earlier this year. He came to Waco after a two-year run with the Florida Gators, a stretch that effectively came to an end when the program fired headman Billy Napier last October. With the coach who brought Lagway to Gainesville no longer in the fold and a regime change in the offing, the quarterback formally entered the transfer portal in December.
Lagway's search for his next football home involved multiple suitors. He took visits to Florida State and Virginia and also drew interest from major programs like Nebraska. Ultimately, Lagway selected Baylor because of the opportunity to play for Aranda and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital.
"Coach Spav, his offense, the way he thinks, the way he spreads the ball around and be able to put up incredible numbers, that stood out to me very early in my process of finding a new home," Lagway said. "I've known coach Aranda since I was a freshman in high school. Being able to have that relationship with him has been great. So, when I got up there on a visit, everything just kind of made sense to me and my family."
Baylor had pursued Lagway before. Aranda and his staff made a hard push for him coming out of high school, battling numerous blue-blood programs for his services. While Lagway picked Florida, the Bears left enough of an impression on the former five-star recruit to put themselves in the running for him the second time around.
Still, Lagway had reasons for choosing Baylor besides familiarity with the coaches. Over his two seasons and 24 games with the Gators, he threw the ball just 529 times. Sawyer Robertson, Lagway's predecessor in Waco, nearly equaled that figure in 2025 alone. The idea of playing in a more pass-focused offense helped convince Lagway to commit to the Bears.
"I'd say the differences that I've noticed is coach Spav's offense is mostly pass first," Lagway said. "A lot of different choice routes and a lot of different options for the receivers to kind of create space and things like that. In my old offense, it was a lot more run heavy, 12 [personnel], being able to run the ball down people's throats and being able to take shots off play-action.
"They're both very vital to have, and being able to learn what I learned from coach Napier's offense, and being able to take what I know now and being able to put it all together, I'm excited for this year."
Though Lagway has only appeared in one contest with Baylor so far, his decision to play in a more pass-oriented offense has already paid dividends on the stat sheet. In Week 1, he set new career highs for pass attempts (54) and passing yards against an FBS opponent (333). He also connected with wideout Gavin Freeman 12 times for 154 yards and a touchdown. For context, Florida never saw a receiver reach 150 yards in a game during Lagway's time as the starter.
Freeman headlines a receiving corps that Lagway believes offers plenty of depth. Louis Brown IV made multiple impactful plays in Week 1, including a 14-yard back-shoulder touchdown reception. The following week, Jayden McGowan emerged as one of the offense's stars, generating 80 yards and two scores. Lagway also highlighted Taz Williams Jr., a sophomore with just one catch to date, as a player on track for a "great season" once he overcomes some injuries.
Still, when it comes to the passing game, Lagway expects Freeman to remain the tip of the spear.
"His ability to make plays and get open and find grass, open space, that's the name of the game," Lagway said of Freeman. "Definitely in our system, our offense, that's where you have your success. Players who can find grass and players that can make difficult catches and make contested catches will have a lot of success, and he's been having a lot of success."
The Lagway-to-Freeman connection underscores one of the many recent shifts in collegiate athletics. Neither played for Baylor during the previous few seasons, but both have carved out sizable leadership roles since joining the program earlier this year. Accordingly, the Bears' success or failure in 2026 will largely rest on the shoulders of two players who never previously intersected.
The landscape of college sports has changed off the field as well. Unlike in the past, high-profile athletes do more than just practice, compete in games, and attend classes. They now also have the opportunity to receive compensation via name, image, and likeness deals. Lagway is no exception, partnering with Venmo as part of their "Money Moves" initiative.
"It's been a really good process, just how everything's played out," Lagway said. "I'm thankful to be here at Baylor and to be partnered with Venmo.
"It's been great, definitely, and the transition here to Baylor has been amazing too."
Because of the relatively recent emergence of NIL in collegiate athletics, many fans don't understand what the deals require of athletes and how much time goes into honoring those agreements. Lagway acknowledges that he has to carefully manage his time to check all the boxes, but he finds the NIL process doesn't interfere with his football schedule or schoolwork.
"It's definitely balanced out," Lagway said. "I have a lot of great people around me to help deal with that. Like, I'm in football season right now, so I don't really have a lot of this going on. My main focus is football and school and things like that. But in the offseason, things kind of change, and you kind of have to focus a little more on this type of stuff, just being able to know the time and the place for everything and knowing how to be good with your time."
But while Lagway appreciates his NIL opportunities, he remains focused on the football team and what he and his teammates hope to accomplish. At 1-1, Baylor still maintains plenty of control over how its season will unfold. A return to bowl eligibility remains on the table, as does a path to competing for the Big 12 conference title.
"I feel like I've never really had a team before that's all on the same page about goals and aspirations that we have as a team," Lagway said. "It's a lot of stories about how we all ended up here at Baylor. It's like God put us all there for a reason together to make something happen. So that's our biggest thing. Go out there and play free and play for each other."
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Jason B. Hirschhorn is an award-winning sportswriter and member of both the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America. He is a co-founder of The Leap, a Green Bay Packers newsletter. His work has also appeared at NFL.com, SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, and other major outlets.
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