At first, EA Sports College Football 26 failed to please Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian. The reason? Sarkisian was not happy with his attire shown in the video game. He said, “Polo with No Shades?? 😎😂” All this was tongue-in-cheek frustration. But looks like this time things are going to take a serious turn for EA Sports College Football 26 among the Florida Gators fans. The reason?

Their favorite quarterback, DJ Lagway, faced a major snub. Already in the Gators fam, Lagway enjoys a seat at the pedestal. Why wouldn’t he? The young chap saved Billy Napier from losing his head coaching role. He flipped the Gators’ script, coming up with 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns during his first season in Gainesville. But who would have thought that a list would rain on Lagway’s parade?

On June 29, the Florida Gators released their list titled, ‘The Top-rated Florida players in EA CFB 26.’ Even though Lagway is given a spot, he does not hold the prime rank. The list goes as:

• Jake Slaughter – 92 OVR
• DJ Lagway – 90 OVR
• Tyreak Sapp – 90 OVR
• Caleb Banks – 90 OVR
• Eugene Wilson – 89 OVR
• Austin Barber – 89 OVR
• Jadan Baugh – 86 OVR
• Jordan Castell – 85 OVR
• Roderick Kearney – 85 OVR
• J. Michael Sturdivant – 85 OVR

Player ratings are determined by a combination of factors, including on-field performance, position-specific attributes, and scouting reports. When it comes to EA Sports, they initially raised high hopes for Lagway. 

Back in May, EA Sports revealed the Deluxe Edition cover for its upcoming College Football 26 video game. The front cover featured Lagway, where the quarterback shared the space with the legendary Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. It came off as a natural move for the Gators’ fans as heading into his sophomore season, Lagway is expected to play a pivotal role. Earlier, it was Tebow who was considered one of the greatest college football players of all time, led the Gators to two national championships during his career, and won the Heisman Trophy in 2007. Now, this goes about Florida Gators players. Here comes another list of the top-10 predicted quarterbacks in College Football 26.

In that list, the top rank went to Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik. Klubnik had a solid 2024 season with the Tigers. He made significant jumps in creating long pass plays, increasing from 19 touchdowns in 2023 to 36 in 2024. His projected rating is 96. Lagway showed glimpses of electricity with the football but still holds the No.5 rank with a projected rating of 92. Throwing 12 touchdowns in his freshman year, his last year’s overall rating skyrocketed from 82 to a projected rating of 92 this season. Even though Lagway might not enjoy the top spot, he must not feel bad. That’s because these rankings did not stop NFL scouts to be buzzing with Lagway’s name.

DJ Lagway is picking up the NFL hype

August 31 has been an ominous day for Gators fans. Their quarterback, Graham Mertz, got sidelined after suffering an upper-body injury as he took a hit during the third quarter against Miami. However, Lagway ensured that the fans did not miss Mertz even for a moment.  The freshman QB came off with flying colors. He went 18-25 with 456 yards and three TDs, crushing Samford to mere specks of dust. Now, what better way to come under the NFL scouts’ radars?

On June 3, NFL Rookie Watch dedicated a post only to Lagway. The opening statement of the caption read, “DJ Lagway is built like an absolute TANK at the QB position.” During his first stint in Napier’s squad, he broke Chris Leak’s record, which had held it for 21 long years. The legend had racked up 286 yards in his first start vs Kentucky and gifted the Gators with a 24-21 win, back in 2003. Physically, too, Lagway now comes off as a threat, having traits of the 2021 NFL Draft’s Dallas Cowboys’ defensive end pick Micah Parsons.

The IG post further revealed, “One NFL scout reportedly believes Lagway is one of the ‘scariest built’ QB prospects to ever play the game.” Another scout noted, “He’s Micah Parsons playing QB. Defenders have more trouble bringing him down than any other player on the offense.” The stature is similar. Parson plays at 6’3” and 245 pounds, while Lagway’s height and weight are 6’3” and 240 pounds. Not just this. “One anonymous Power-5 coach even believes Lagway is the ‘best QB to come through Florida’ since Tim Tebow (Yes, including Anthony Richardson).” As DJ Lagway builds his NFL-bound résumé, Florida fans shouldn’t sweat him missing the top EA Sports spot.