Greg McElroy defends where he ranked DJ Lagway on Top 10 college football quarterback list

2025 will be DJ Lagway‘s first as the full-time starter for the Florida Gators under center. Lagway impressed as a true freshman last fall during his seven starts as multiple other appearances, and may believe he is poised for a breakout season this year.

So it comes as no surprise that Lagway appeared on Greg McElroy’s top 10 quarterbacks in college football list earlier this offseason. Coming in at No. 9 — a ranking which some Gators fans may take exception to — McElroy gave his analysis of the former five-star recruit ahead of the 2025 college football season.

“The plays that he makes are sensational. He’s one of those guys where the stats don’t really tell the whole story,” McElroy said. “You can watch him, and you can draw your own conclusions. … I look at DJ lagway, and I look at how often he had to throw off balance. I look at how often he had to evade a blitzing defender and stay upright just long enough to deliver the pass accurately. I look at how often he had to make a guy miss just to keep a play alive and to get the ball out as an incompletion, as opposed to a nine yard loss on the sack.

“Now, this is 100% me rolling the dice because he didn’t get to go through spring camp at all. He’s had a shoulder injury that he’s been nursing, has been on the mend. … So I’ll be curious to see how he does this year, but I’m buying DJ Lagway as a big-time quarterback in the country this year.”

The injury to Lagway’s shoulder is one that has been nagging him since high school. Thus, he missed the majority of spring practices last month and was limited when he was able to participate.

However, when he’s healthy there is no denying his talent. A former five star recruit, Lagway took over mid-way through his true freshman season in 2024 for the injured Graham Mertz — and the Gators went 6-1 during the back stretch of the season with the young signal caller leading the charge.

Lagway ultimately finished the season with 1,915 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions on a 59.9% completion percentage in 2024. He also added an additional 101 sack-adjusted yards to his overall yardage total during his freshman season.

With those stats setting the stage for an even brighter sophomore campaign, he’ll have to focus on getting healthy for now heading into the summer months. The Gators kick off the 2025 season against Long Island at home.