Florida lands high ceiling QB in DJ Lagway

The top-ranked uncommitted signal caller in the 2024 cycle came off the board on Wednesday, with DJ Lagway announcing his commitment to Florida. Landing Lagway over Lincoln Riley and USC is a marquee recruiting win for Billy Napier and the Gators.

Lagway is the second blue-chip quarterback to jump in the boat with Florida over the last month, as the Gators flipped 2023 On300 signal caller Jaden Rashada from Miami in November.

Lets take look at what makes the Willis (Texas) High product the No. 7 overall prospect in the On300 and such a big get for Florida.

DJ Lagway’s physical skill set stands out

DJ Lagway is arguably the most physically-gifted quarterback in the 2024 cycle at this relatively early juncture. He has a naturally big frame measuring in at 6-foot-2.5, 225 pounds with a 9.5-inch hand prior to his junior season. Lagway’s size pairs with a strong combination of pure arm talent and functional athleticism, making for a high upside quarterback prospect.

Lagway has a naturally strong arm with the ability to drive the football to all levels. The football pops out of his hand on Friday nights and in neutral camp settings. We see Lagway deliver downfield strikes from within the pocket. He hits far hash throws with relative easy and shows the ability to fit the football into tight windows over the middle of the field.

A multi-sport standout who also stars on the baseball diamond, Lagway shows some of the best mobility among the top 2024 quarterback prospects. He has quick feet and is able to extend plays and pick up yards on the ground. We saw Lagway rip off a number of big gains on scrambles as a junior. His size and athleticism also provide the makings of a dangerous between the tackles threat on designed quarterback runs.

Improved production and budding playmaking ability

The physical tools have been readily apparent for over a year. Still, we saw DJ Lagway make some encouraging progress as a quarterback in his junior season.

First off, Lagway showed marked improvement in his production and efficiency as a junior. He finished his shortened season completing 134 of 200 passes (67%) for 2,081 yards (10.5 yards per attempt) and 24 touchdowns against five interceptions. Lagway also ran for 517 yards and seven more touchdowns on 50 carries. That production came in eight games, making for a relatively strong per game stat profile for a junior quarterback.

Along with the improved production, we saw Lagway make strides while operating both in and out of structure. He showed the ability to navigate and make plays from within the pocket. The general handling of pressure stacks up fairly well among many of his touted peers at this stage. As a passer, Lagway also showed some growth in creativity. He’s able to deliver passes from multiple arm slots and can hasten his motion to deliver quickly when under duress. The ability to play from within the pocket is the basis for nearly all successful quarterbacks, but it’s also good to see how a signal caller can create plays outside of structure. We saw a good bit of that from Lagway this fall. The ability to improvise and make plays with his arm and feet is certainly notable when assessing his ultimate upside.

Fit at Florida and looking forward

DJ Lagway gives Florida a physically-gifted quarterback prospect who can create mismatches with his downfield arm talent and potential as a run threat. Given Billy Napier’s offensive tendencies at Florida and Louisiana-Lafayette, it’s hard to not see Lagway being able to fit in well with the scheme in Gainesville.

There’s still a bunch of football and development remaining for Lagway and his peers in the 2024 cycle. The national quarterback class does not appear to be quite as deep with blue-chip arms as the 2023 crop at the same stage. With that said, we’re sure to see continued improvement and other names emerge.

With Lagway specifically, we’d like to see him continue to show growth as a player on Friday nights with consistent performances on a weekly basis. While the shortened junior season was encouraging, it’s a relatively small sample. To take the true next step as a quarterback, he’ll need to continue to gain experience and continue adding refinement by way of crucial live reps as a senior. The best quarterback prospects tend to see the game slow down and show marked improvement in their final prep season, entering college on a strong note. Continued progress would only solidify Lagway as one of the top quarterbacks and overall prospects in the 2024 cycle and further the impact he could have in Gainesville.