How Florida's Game at Texas A&M is Personal for QB DJ Lagway

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- While the Florida Gators have been semi-familiar opponents at Texas A&M's Kyle Field with three road games since the Aggies first joined the league in 2012, Saturday's game will be much more personal for starting quarterback DJ Lagway.

Lagway, hailing from Willis, Tx., grew up less than two hours from Texas A&M's campus and included the Aggies in his final 10 schools before committing to Florida.

"I'm definitely excited to go back play at Kyle Field," he detailed at SEC Media Day over the summer. "I've been in, like, a lot of games at Kyle Field. For me to be able to play in one that's going to be surreal, having all my family, my teammates, my classmates, my coaches, teachers all of them being at the game, it's going to be fun."

BREAKING: Elite 2024 QB Derek Lagway (@DerekLagway) is down to 🔟 Schools!

The 6’3 225 QB from Willis, TX is ranked as the No. 18 Player in the ‘24 Class (No. 3 QB)https://t.co/O2SI1joeBt pic.twitter.com/COqe5NTSPN
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) September 18, 2022

Since his appearance at the media day, Lagway has had a rollercoaster of a sophomore campaign after a rough start to the season, including a five-interception performance against LSU. However, the former five-star had a breakout performance last week against Texas, throwing for 298 yards and two touchdowns in the Gators' upset.

The yardage also set a career-high for Lagway in games against Power 4 opponents.

Now finally having some success, Lagway faces yet another tough Power 4 opponent with a night game against the fifth-ranked Aggies. Despite the personal ties in this game, Florida head coach Billy Napier believes it will ultimately be a "non-factor," but it could give him some extra motivation.

"I think it can be a positive. Anything that's a motivator. That happens to players on a consistent basis. This is just another one of those situations," Napier said on Monday. "So it will be a non-factor in the game. It's all going to be about how he prepares and how he executes presented with the opportunity. Maybe it'll give him a little edge this week. I think certainly for me it would; anytime we play some of these teams where I’m from, it's definitely part of the puzzle.”

This will not be the first time Lagway plays the Aggies after going 6-for-13 for 54 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions while splitting time with Graham Mertz in last season's 33-20 loss at home. However, it will be the first time he plays a game in his home state after missing last year's game against Texas due to injury.

Florida Gators DJ Lagway (2) split time with Graham Mertz (15) in last year's game against Texas A&M. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko, who recruited Lagway, has seen significant strides since he first faced Lagway in September of 2024 and even more so in Lagway's sophomore campaign.

"DJ is obviously a kid that we've known. Tried very hard to get him here, an extremely talented quarterback," he said. "I think again, media narratives, to me, are so funny. I think he's playing so much better. I think he's made a lot of growth and taken a lot of strides. You see him very, very comfortable back there. I think he's playing at a really, really high level."

Despite not having any local ties whatsoever, Lagway committed to Florida despite offers from Texas A&M and in-state Baylor, where his father Derek played. At SEC Media Day, Napier described recruiting Lagway away from the Lone Star State.

"We were fortunate that we found DJ early in his high school career. We built great rapport," Napier said. "DJ stayed the course, and I think one of the things that's unique about our team is that we recruited each one of these groups with the mantra of kind of like you have to be up for the challenge in terms of what we're trying to take on here.

"So DJ was no different in that regard. I think his mentality towards recruitment, the consistency in his attitude and approach, he never wavered, obviously in a little bit of a difficult time as well. So DJ has got great parents. I think he's got a great foundation in terms of the values. I think he's a great teammate. So he was phenomenal throughout that entire process, and he's certainly made a difference in our team."

Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway had a bounce-back game against Texas, throwing two touchdowns in the win over the Longhorns. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

That recruiting process has mirrored his 2025 season with all of the ups and downs. Yet, Lagway never wavered following three-straight poor performances. His performance against Texas may have been the turning point for the young signal-caller going forward.

"I already knew who DJ was, that didn't surprise me," linebacker Myles Graham said of Lagway's bounce-back game. "Honestly, I knew what type of competitor he was. I know how hard he works, and didn't faze him at all. So he knew who he was, too. He was confident in that. He was confident in the fact that he gets his ability and his plan from the Lord. So he stresses that, man, and I'm super proud of him."

Lagway's first start against the Aggies, and first start in his home state, will begin at 7 p.m. ET with television coverage on ESPN.

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