Could Stanford Football Go After SEC Superstar?

The transfer portal officially opens up in a couple of weeks. Add Florida's DJ Lagway to the mix.

Nov 29, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) gestures before the snap against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

It is officially transfer portal season. While the portal does not officially open until the start of the new year, many players are already making it known that they intend to put their names in to find a new place to call home as they play out their final seasons of eligibility.

For many programs, they will look vastly different next season as they see the departure of key superstars, which is why utilizing the transfer portal could be key.

But for the Stanford Cardinal, the transfer portal is not just important—it could very well be the key to a successful 2026 campaign. In the midst of a rebuild and with a lot of questions to answer about their roster, the Cardinal will most likely need to turn to the transfer portal in order to bring in some experienced talent.

One player that the Cardinal could target? Former Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway, who became the latest big-name player to announce their intentions to enter the transfer portal.

Committing to Florida right out of high school, Lagway spent most of his true freshman season in 2024 as the backup to Graham Mertz, but after Mertz suffered a series of injuries, Lagway became the starter for the rest of the season and went 6-1, throwing for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions while guiding the Gators to a victory over Tulane Gasparilla Bowl.

But 2025 proved to be much different for both Lagway and the Gators, who finished 4-8 on the season and saw head coach Billy Napier fired midseason.

Lagway struggled to replicate the success from his freshman campaign, throwing for 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Now with a new coach in Jon Sumrall, Lagway is looking for a fresh start where he can reestablish himself as a star in college football.

Stanford would make perfect sense for Lagway. Bringing in a new head coach with NFL experience in Tavita Pritchard, Lagway going to Stanford would not only give the Cardinal a big name quarterback, but he could go somewhere where he can develop his game under a quarterback guru.

During Pritchard's time as an NFL assistant as the quarterbacks coach of the Washington Commanders from 2023-25, he helped develop Jayden Daniels into an NFL superstar right out of the gate. Struggling with quarterback consistency in recent seasons, Lagway could put an end to Stanford's quarterback woes for at least the next two seasons.

If Lagway does come to Stanford, it could also attract other bigger name players in the portal to consider The Farm. Lagway, a former five-star recruit, is still a massive name player and would be a rare pickup for Stanford—a school not known for landing a lot of five-star players.

If Stanford can sway him, it would say a lot about this current regime and what they are capable of, which could lead others to buying in.

Stanford is still deep in its rebuild, but if they want to see any success in Pritchard's first season at the helm, going after a big name talent like Lagway would be a good start, and could even be the type of move that lands them in bowl game consideration in 2026.