Former five-star QB DJ Lagway arrived in Gainesville with a hype train rolling hard. His freshman year gave Florida real hope. Then came a sophomore season derailed by injury, a sputtering offense and missed practices under Billy Napier. After two seasons in that environment, Lagway chose to transfer. Now, that move is showing clear results.

“I feel great. You know I’m in the best place I’ve ever been mentally and even physically,” said Lagway at Big 12 Media Days 2026, as reported by SicEm365 on July 7. “I’m excited, so excited this week, and I’ve been working on things that I’ve been meaning to work on since freshman year, and I’m excited to really put it all together. It’s gonna be fun. I got a great group of guys to help me, so I’m excited.”

In Gainesville, Lagway often sat out whole weeks because his shoulder, core, and calf would not cooperate. Missed reps meant missed trust with new receivers, and the offense felt stuck. In Waco, Aranda’s hands-on approach contrasts with Napier’s distance; he talks to Lagway after every series and lets him throw without second-guessing. That daily freedom can be seen in Lagway’s confidence.

The question now is whether Lagway can stay healthy and cut down turnovers in a new system. His Florida tape shows flashes of poise, but also stretches where missed timing and bad throws hurt the Gators.

“If there’s an area of his game that has consistently reared its head throughout his young career, it’s turnovers. The former Gators signal-caller led the SEC in interceptions with 14 last season while committing 24 turnovers over two years as a starter,” wrote CBS Sports this June.

On top of that, Lagway’s body kept breaking down in Florida. A shoulder issue, a sports hernia, and a nagging calf problem limited his practice time and his sharpness on game day. Watching from the sidelines while his body healed was mentally draining, and Lagway claims that stretch taught him how to care for his body and value every practice rep.

“I said I learned a lot about really how to take care of your body and how valuable that is,” said Lagway. “You hear that a lot, and I experienced that; that was really the hardest moment of my career thus far. And not being able to be on the field with my guys, and then being able to, okay, go down into the fire.”

“Weak boy, not practicing at all the whole offseason, expecting to play at a high level—so that really messed with me, but I was just thankful for the experience, because I wouldn’t be up here today talking with y’all today if that happened, so I’m thankful,” added the former Florida QB.

Despite turnovers, Lagway’s talent is undeniable, and his 2024 debut season with the Gators proved it. He earned the QB1 role, as the true freshman recorded 456 passing yards in his first college game as a starter. On top of that, with Lagway at the helm, Florida finished its 2024 season with a 4-game winning streak. Yet his sophomore year unraveled. Here at Baylor, if Lagway stays on the field, Baylor’s offense has a real chance to look nothing like the unit that went 5–7.