Former No. 1 QB Faces Career-Defining Test After Disappointing College Football Season

For some college football players, the career arc is simple. A high recruiting ranking makes a standout recruit who grows into a star player. But other times, the path isn't quite so direct. In fact, in the era of the transfer portal, even most five-star quarterbacks (Julian Sayin, Quinn Ewers) hit the transfer portal.

And 2025 especially seemed to be the season of disappointing quarterback play. Whether it was the stumbles of Arch Manning and LaNorris Sellers that ended up bringing both back to school or the more drastic issues of Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik, or Drew Allar, many top projected QBs struggled even as Julian Sayin and Carson Beck thrived.

But no player had a more awkward 2025 season than former Florida DJ Lagway. Lagway, who was once the No. 1 QB recruit in the class of 2024 (per 247sports), is now in a new home at Baylor. Lagway was on a list of top players to watch in spring games from Bleacher Report's Brad Shephard.

A "Last Chance" Player to Watch

While noting that Lagway has "nowhere near reached his potential" and terming the Baylor opportunity "a last chance," Shephard notes Lagway's massive dual-threat potential. "If he can step into the spot vacated by Sawyer Robertson and be given a green light to fling it around in an open offense, who knows what it could produce?" asks Shephard.

Baylor's Sawyer Robertson had a big 2025 season and might provide a template for success for Lagway. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Lagway's Struggles

After picking Florida ahead of the 2024 season, Lagway saw spot duty behind starter Graham Mertz before an injury ended Mertz's season. Lagway took over and showed promise, throwing for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Expectations were high heading into 2025. At one point, On3sports projected Lagway's NIL valuation at $3.7 million. But the season went awry in a hurry (and his NIL valuation has dipped below $1.5 million). Lagway passed for 2,264 yards with 16 touchdowns against 14 interceptions and Florida coach Billy Napier was fired ahead of the end of the season.

Lagway picked Baylor in the portal, which is close to his home in Texas and is the school where his father played. A season ago, Dave Aranda's team struggled to a 5-7 season while QB Sawyer Robertson produced a massive season, throwing for 3,681 yards and 31 touchdowns. Aranda is on the hot seat now, much as Napier was heading into 2025. And Lagway's best shot to avoid becoming the bust of the 2024 QB class is to fill Robertson's shoes and carry his local school back to a big season.