Former Florida Gators QB DJ Lagway Ends Whirlwind Transfer Portal Recruitment

Former Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway has finally ended his transfer portal recruitment.

Former Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway has finally ended his transfer portal recruitment. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

DJ Lagway's journey in the transfer portal has officially come to an end. At long last, the former Florida Gators quarterback has signed with Baylor, finalizing a rollercoaster commitment with the Bears.

Lagway, the nation's No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class, left Florida after two seasons and will have two years of eligibility remaining. He is rated as the No. 14 overall transfer and No. 4 quarterback in the 2026 transfer cycle, according to 247 Sports.

Newest member of the Baylor Family ➡️ @DerekLagway pic.twitter.com/9lz7fBdade

— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) January 18, 2026

Lagway, who was 10-9 as Florida's starting quarterback over the last two seasons, first announced his plans to depart from Florida on Dec. 15, just two weeks after new head coach Jon Sumrall was introduced, after a reported meeting between Lagway, Sumrall and other new coaches reportedly did not go well.

“When I met with DJ, I just said, ‘Hey, look, man. This culture is going to be built on toughness and love of football. If you fit that, great. If you don’t, then that’s not going to be good,’" Sumrall recently recalled. "I said, ‘Let’s talk through what this is going to look like moving forward. Would love to have you stay here, if you’re comfortable with some ground rules that are laid out.' It was his decision to leave. He was not forced out of here, by any stretch of the imagination."

After his official entrance in the portal, Lagway quickly became a hot commodity by teams looking for an instant-starter at quarterback. LSU, Baylor and Miami were rumored potential landing spots before he eventually took visits at Florida State and Virginia. He reportedly committed to Baylor, where his dad played, on Jan. 8 but did not shut down his recruitment.

He later took a visit to Ole Miss and was reported to be a potential target for Duke in the wake of Darian Mensah's departure before officially signing with Baylor on Sunday.

Lagway's tenure at Florida started with plenty of hope and ended with extreme frustration. As a true freshman in 2024, Lagway led the Gators to its first bowl win since the 2019 season with a 6-1 record as the starting quarterback. He threw for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a true freshman, signaling a strong future with plenty of room for growth.

His sophomore season was the opposite. Numerous injuries in the offseason limited his participation in spring and fall camp, leading to poor early-season performances against USF, LSU and Miami, during which he threw for just two touchdowns against six interceptions, including a five-interception night against the Tigers.

DJ Lagway's time at Florida had plenty of tremendous highs and deep lows. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

He bounced back with better performances against Texas, Texas A&M and Mississippi State, but as the losses mounted, so did criticism towards Lagway's performances late in the season. A three-interception night against Kentucky saw him benched, while inconsistency against Ole Miss and Tennessee cost the Gators wins.

Lagway ended is Gator career with a three-touchdown night against Florida State, tying a career-high for touchdown passes in a game. He finished the season with 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns and an FBS-leading 14 interceptions.

In the midst of the coaching change, first with Billy Napier's firing on Oct. 19 and ending with Sumrall's hiring on Nov. 30, Lagway did not explicitly commit to Florida for the long term but repeatedly said he was currently a Gator.

"Obviously, want to see who we bring in. At this point I'm a Florida Gator," he said after the win over the Seminoles. "I'm happy and blessed to be here, so yeah."

His last notable appearance as a Gator came during Sumrall's introductory press conference on Dec. 1, during which he was seen sitting with multiple UF teammates in the back.

With Lagway gone, Florida is expected to have a position battle for 2026 with redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr., Lagway's backup in 2025, and Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo the expected main contenders. The Gators also retained former walk-on Aidan Warner, Lagway's backup in 2026, and signed four-star Will Griffin in the 2026 recruiting class.

The expected battle will begin on March 3 when Florida opens spring camp.