$2 million transfer portal QB linked to unexpected college football program

A transfer quarterback has surprisingly been linked with a college football program for a potentially historic move.

Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The NCAA transfer portal will open for college football players across all levels on Jan. 2, 2026. The portal will stay open until Jan. 16, 2026.

A few weeks before its opening, a myriad of college football players have already announced they will enter the transfer portal.

Among the intriguing players to enter are TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby and Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula.

One of the first quarterbacks who decided to enter the transfer portal ahead of the 2026 offseason was Florida quarterback DJ Lagway. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

BREAKING: Florida QB DJ Lagway plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, @PeteNakos reports. https://t.co/pSTTZxUus5 pic.twitter.com/JRQvjcvpoo

— On3 (@On3sports) December 15, 2025

Among the schools jockeying for Lagway in the 2026 offseason are Miami, LSU, Baylor, Louisville and Texas Tech.

Another school that has been added to the mix to land Lagway out of the transfer portal is Clemson.

Clemson has not had a quarterback ranked lower than a four-star dating back to the very beginning of Dabo Swinney's tenure as head coach. While Clemson has consistently been with five-star talent at the quarterback position under Swinney, it has been notorious for its lack of acquisitions from the transfer portal.

Since the transfer portal's inception in 2018, the three players Clemson acquired in the 2024 offseason are its only transfers from the portal. If Lagway indeed transfers to Clemson, he would be the first quarterback to do so in Swinney's tenure.

Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-3, 247-pounder played two seasons for Billy Napier and the Gators in Gainesville, beginning his career as a backup to Graham Mertz.

Lagway's first start as a Gator was in a win over Samford (45-7) in 2024 while Mertz dealt with a concussion. He threw fr 456 yards and three touchdowns against the Bulldogs.

For the next four games, Napier played Mertz the first of every three possessions and Lagway on the third. This ended abruptly when Mertz suffered an ACL tear on Oct. 12, 2024.

Lagway was 5-1 as the Gators' starter over the final seven games of 2024. He missed the game at Texas on Nov. 9, 2024, due to a hamstring injury he suffered against Georgia a week prior.

Florida was 4-8 with Lagway as its starting quarterback in 2025. He passed for 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while rushing for an additional 136 yards and a touchdown.

The 14 interceptions are the second-most in FBS in 2025. He earned around $2 million during his two seasons at Florida.