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Behind the evaluation of DJ Lagway: What makes him elite -- and unique

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•02/10/24•

On3Keith

DJ Lagway
DJ Lagway (Keith Niebuhr/On3)

Because DJ Lagway won seemingly every significant national award from 2023, it felt like a no-brainer that the 5-star Florida Gators signee should end up as the No. 1 quarterback in the class.

But awards aren’t part of the evaluation process.

Frame, arm talent, athleticism, football IQ are among the things that are.

So to get some insight in Lagway as a recruit, Gators Online interviewed On3 national scout Cody Bellaire (SEE ABOVE VIDEO). And he tells us what stands out with the touted recruit from a talent standpoint and beyond.

Bellaire, having worked with various college programs, was perfect for this article, as his insights were heavy not only into Lagway’s ability but also shed light on what type of person he is. And yes, in recruiting, character still matters.

In fact, when talking about Lagway, the first thing Bellaire pointed to was how Lagway acted on a vist to LSU a young recruit.

DJ Lagway’s skillset impressed … so did his character

“The thing that was so impressive about him, even back then was the human being,” Bellaire told Gators Online. “As a 15, 16-year-old kid, you were like, ‘Whoa, this cat is sharp, he knows ball, he’s courteous, he’s polite, he shook everybody’s hand, he got everybody’s name.’ And I remember after the game, all the personel and recruiting (people) went back in the office. And you know, there’s 50 other kids on campus that you’ve been talking to all day. And we got back and sat down in our office and were like, ‘Hey, that sophomore from Willis (Texas) was pretty damn impressive.’ And I think that’s part of the story that people take for granted.”

As a prospect, Bellaire said he saw tremendous growth and development from DJ Lagway from his junior to senior season, and that’s why he shot up in the rankings. Also, he said that was a credit to Florida’s early evaluation of him.

“He was a 67 percent completion guy as a junior, which is great don’t get me wrong,” Bellaire said. “But he even upped his game and got it to 72 percent as a senior. And I think part of that is cleaning up the motion and with that delivering more catchable balls. He’s made some unbelievable strides in his game throughout his high school career and I think the sky’s the limit for him at the next level.”

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Here are 4 other UF signees to get excited about

In this same video, Bellaire discusses what he likes about four other prospects.

-Four-star tight end Amir Jackson: Bellaire loves his upside and the fact he translates his basketball skills as a great rebounder to the football field.

-Four-star linebacker Aaron Chiles: Bellaire not only sees a future star in Chiles, but thinks he could have an early impact in college.

-Four-star offensive lineman Marcus Mascoll: Bellaire said Mascoll made great strides as a senior and took his game to the next level.

-Three-star safety Josiah Davis: Gators Onliine asked Bellaire to talk about one sleeper in the Florida recruiting class and he pickd Davis. He likes Davis’ body/frame and thinks he can be a physical safety at the next level.

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