The Florida Gators QB1, DJ Lagway, officially announced to enter the transfer portal on Monday. The former five-star UF recruit has several possible destinations. One is, of course, his father’s alma mater, Baylor Bears. The other one is Lane Kiffin’s LSU, which is in dire need of a legacy QB. But a third program from the ACC has now emerged as a strong contender.

ESPN’s Max Olsen, in his December 15 report, speculated Dabo Swinney’s Clemson to be a program where Lagway can land. “Don’t be shocked if Swinney is interested in reconnecting with a QB who could be a perfect culture fit for a program that rarely dips into the portal,” wrote Olsen. It’s a lesser-explored connection. But considering Dabo Swinney is losing Cade Klubnik to the NFL in 2026 and also that he tried recruiting Lagway, this move is not too far-fetched.

Clemson was at the forefront of recruiting Lagway at the time when he was the top QB in the 2024 class. The program was even in Lagway’s final list, before he committed to Florida. Add to that, Dabo Swinney tried to persuade Lagway to come to Clemson hours before he made his Florida decision. Now, it will be tempting for the head coach to explore the past relationship that he built with Lagway.

“I have a really good relationship with those two coaches. I talk to Coach Streeter a lot, at least once a week. I try to get on the phone every couple of weeks with Coach Swinney. We have a good relationship, and I’m excited to keep building on it,” said Lagway about Swinney during his recruitment for the 2024 class. In the summer of 2023, Lagway even visited Clemson and spoke highly about the program. Connecting all the dots will be easy for Clemson now. But will Clemson take him?

When you pull in the stat sheet of Lagway this season, it’s been disappointing. The sophomore leads the SEC with 14 interceptions and ranks 14th in QB rating in the conference. In total, the QB has accumulated 4,179 passing yards, 237 rushing yards, and 29 turnovers. Factor in that Florida just capped off a 4-8 season with DJ Lagway with a woeful offense. Ideally, there shouldn’t be many suitors for the QB, let alone a legacy program like Clemson, right?

Despite those numbers, Lagway is still viewed to have untapped potential. Moreover, since he has already started 19 games for UF, experience will keep him on top of the pyramid in the transfer portal. Plus, Lagway was playing through his chronic shoulder injury and his shoulder surgery was due after the season. That alone could make him a better QB. But Clemson also needs him because Swinney’s QB room needs competition.

Currently, Clemson has two QBs in Christopher Vizzina and Chris Denson. Vizzina hasn’t seen much starter experience and has accumulated just 406 passing yards in 2025. Denson is still a freshman and would need to learn behind the veterans. Lagway can be that veteran presence who can fuel the QB room’s competition. The Tigers won’t need Lagway to be Trevor Lawrence. Instead, he is an assurance for Clemson if things go south.

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Lagway’s Lane Kiffin and Baylor Bears connection

Garret Riley’s schemes at Clemson are built on decision-making, QB development, and timing under a well-defined system. What the Willis, Texas native needs right now is the assurance of stability. Somewhere with fixed schemes, less chaos, and coaching continuity. Clemson provides everything and more. Moreover, considering the struggles Lagway had, he can also be thrifty in the portal

That alone can motivate Dabo Swinney to dip his toes in the portal, something the head coach rarely does. As for other programs, Baylor is still in the mix since Lagway’s father, Derek, played for the Bears in the 1990s. Living just two hours away from his home in Waco can be another motivation to join the Bears. The program is also in need of a QB after Sawyer Robertson’s apparent departure. LSU’s case, though, is a bit tricky.

Lane Kiffin always wanted the Florida job and kept track of the program closely. Currently, Kiffin’s QB, Garret Nussmeier, is departing, and he is looking at options like Sam Leavitt from ASU. Factor in that the former Ole Miss HC had also retweeted Lagway’s transfer portal announcement, and Lagway’s move to LSU starts gaining some traction. While the two programs have been in the conversation for some time now, Dabo Swinney is the unexpected one. But we have seen how college football always works on the motto: expect the unexpected.