DJ Lagway gave the Gators a belief when belief was running thin. He committed to the Gators in December 2022, and even when others left after a 5-7 season in 2023, Lagway stayed. Then in his freshman year, he went 6-1 at Gainesville and added life back to the Swamp. He was looked at as a five-star talent who stayed when it was easy to walk away. But now the script has changed, and he has walked away from orange and blue, and the reason could be that the trust he showed back in 2023 was not returned when he needed it most.

Lagway is now with the Baylor Bears football team and looks back at his time at Gainesville and remembers nothing but bad memories. “It was never that it wasn’t fun,” DJ Lagway said on the February 14th episode of 365 Sports. “It was frustrating not being able to be out there and practice and play with my teammates. That was the hardest thing for me. I say the off-season as on-going into my sophomore year, having all the hoopla, all the hype, and all that never really fed into me.

It never really got it. I just wanted to play football and wanted to develop, and I miss those important developmental reps in practice. And that’s why I’m just like, I’m so excited.”

Lagway’s 2025 season was for sure an eyebrow raiser, 16 touchdowns against 14 interceptions, but then the context matters. Injuries riddled him leading up to the year. Due to right shoulder soreness in August 2024, Lagway had to miss parts of his first collegiate training camp. Because of that, he couldn’t gel with his team properly. Then the big blows arrived. In a high-stakes game against Georgia, Lagway suffered a “pretty significant” hamstring injury in the second quarter while Florida held a 10–3 lead. He was carted off the field and had to miss the next game against Texas.

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Later, it was revealed that Lagway played the whole of the 2024 season with a shoulder injury and a core muscle injury. The latter was called a sports hernia that required immediate surgery during the 2025 offseason. Because of that, Lagway couldn’t participate completely in the 2025 spring practice. He also would’ve required surgery for his shoulder issues. But then Napier and his staff opted for a conservative rehab and rest approach to preserve his long-term health.

During that time, Lagway focused on his mental reps. While other quarterbacks like Harrison Bailey took proper snaps, Lagway stood nearby and “mirrored” their dropbacks and footwork without actually throwing a ball. Even during a 7-on-7 game, Lagway acted as a sideline QB, using a walkie-talkie to radio plays into the active quarterbacks to improve his knowledge of the playbook.

The missed practice time derailed Lagway’s sophomore season at The Swamp. Florida put in many new wide receivers in 2025. But since Lagway couldn’t establish chemistry with them during practice, the Gators’ offense was choked. Take the game against LSU last year, where Lagway recorded a career-high five interceptions. The performance at Tiger Stadium was particularly significant as it was Lagway’s first career road start in the SEC.

What didn’t help was the fact that when Jon Sumrall took the reins, things were not really the same for Lagway.

The real reason DJ Lagway walked away from Gainesville

The poor fit under the new coaching staff is the sole reason why DJ Lagway didn’t want to stay. At first, Lagway really wanted to stay and give the new leadership a proper chance.

“Even with the coaching change and a tough season, Lagway wanted to remain in Gainesville,” CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer reported. “He picked the Gators for a reason: He loved the school, he loved the environment. The parting happened somewhat suddenly.”

The initial meetings between Lagway and Sumrall’s staff reportedly went poorly. Sumrall and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner allegedly questioned Lagway’s “mental makeup,” competitiveness, and work ethic. Whereas others around Florida talk about how Lagway is someone who runs around the campus in the early hours of the day.

Also, the new staff didn’t prioritize Lagway or his development in any way. And Lagway wanted someone to prep him well for what’s coming next. Even if he didn’t get the starting role, it was quite fine by him. But Sumrall and his staff significantly focused on bringing players from the transfer portal.

“He didn’t care about the money,” one source close to Lagway told CBS Sports. “Didn’t care about them bringing someone else in. He just wanted to hear you have the ability, and we want to coach it out of you.”

With Lagway’s exit, Florida moved forward by adding Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo and four-star recruit Will Griffin to compete with redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr.