Biggest Impact Newcomers for the Florida Gators

Newcomers with all boom, no bust. Which Florida Gators football recruits and transfers will have the most immediate impact?

Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway / Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA

With the seventh best recruiting class in the nation per 247Sports, Florida Gators football is set to turn a corner at high speeds propelled by new talent surging in Gainesville. Not all newcomers are made equal, and these newcomers are primed to make an immediate impact in The Swamp.

The man that most certainly comes to mind first, DJ Lagway. The 5-star quarterback is the 12th highest ranked recruit to ever commit to a program that heads into its 118th year of existence. One of one. 

Lagway brings excitement and speed to the Gators offense with his X-factor physical abilities. Standing at 6 '2, 225 pounds while running a 4.7 second 40 yard dash, Lagway possesses the size of a linebacker and the speed of a larger receiver. 

Starting year one behind Graham Mertz, as he should be, Lagway needs to see time on the field. Let him learn under Mertz, but draw up packages specifically for Lagway’s ability. Put the world on notice, show everyone who Lagway is in year one and have the option of running an offense with a quarterback who can escape the pocket, easily. If all goes well, DJ Lagway can be THAT player who spins the wheel of fortune for Gators football and lands on the jackpot.

Next up is possibly the most surefire star in the 2024 class. 6 '6, 274 pound monster LJ McCray can immediately skyrocket the stock of the Florida Gators defensive line. A product of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, McCray totaled 80 tackles, 13 sacks and state title hardwear in his senior year as an interior lineman. 

There’s a reason McCray is the highest rated player in his position group per On3; He has the size and physical ability to make an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball for Florida. To put it simply, McCray is a man amongst boys, even on a field full of the best athletes in the country. 

At the time of his commitment, wide receiver Elijhah Badger sat atop the list of 247Sports top-uncommitted offensive transfers. The redshirt junior is coming off of a fine year at Arizona State, but his best season was 2022 with career highs of 70 receptions, 866 yards and seven touchdowns. 

Badger adds deep ball threat ability and depth to a Gators receiving room that just lost its number one target to the San Francisco 49ers, Ricky Pearsall. Pearsall also began his career as a Sun Sevil, but flourished in the Orange and Blue. Badger looks to follow that same path. Combining Badger's skill with three years of experience at the division one level, he is set to be a key player in his first  season as a Gator. 

One of three transfers with SEC experience in this recruiting class, Grayson “Pup” Howard comes from South Carolina as additional depth for Florida’s linebacker core. The Gators heavily campaigned for Howard as a recruit out of high school, but he decided to begin his career in South Carolina instead. 

After one year as a Gamecock, it was time for the North Florida native to come home. Pup is one who would be described as a “dawg.” The high volume tackling inside linebacker is a run stopper who already has one forced fumble in SEC play (South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt, 11/11/2023). Howard should be immediately slotted into the Gators linebacker rotation, and see crucial field time for Florida as a sophomore. 

After a breakout performance in the Orange and Blue game, Jadan Baugh will lighten the load for Montrell Johnson in his first year in the Gators backfield. 12 carries, 77 yards, one 25-yard rush to set up DJ Lagway’s first touchdown as a Gator and 6.4 yards per carry let Gainesville and the University of Florida know Baugh had arrived. 

After Trevor Etienne’s departure from the Program, Baugh was a huge get for head coach Billy Napier to strengthen the team's running back room. The Gators were not the only elite program looking to lock down this 4-star tailback. After committing to Arkansas, Florida flipped Baugh, out-doing Alabama in this running back recruiting war. 

Entering SEC play from the Ivy League, Joey Slackman adds more firepower to Florida’s already much improved defensive line. Slackman was the 2023 Ivy League defensive player of the year due to his 50 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss and four sacks.

With one year of eligibility remaining, Slackmans impact comes now, or never. I’m willing to bet that it comes now. Slackman was 247Sports’ 4th-best transfer among defensive tackles. 

Gators head coach Billy Napier saw someone who fit the Florida script in Slackman on his official visit. “He came on an official visit. I’ll tell you, I wasn’t expecting the height and length that walked in the door, but more importantly, when this guy started engaging our staff and people throughout the organization, he made an impression. He left an impression," Napier said at his post-signing press conference. 

Three seven-loss seasons in a row and a coaching carousel has led a once highly formidable foe for anyone to a fast-tracked fall from grace. Florida football has yet to see success under Billy Napier, but there is no longer an excuse with the talent coming to Gainesville. This top ten recruiting class in the nation could be the explosivity that elevates Florida back to the glory days. Or, at least, begins the process in doing so.