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Elite 11 Finals: Florida QB Commit DJ Lagway Named Among Nation's Finest

Florida quarterback commitment DJ Lagway officially earned a spot among the 2023 Elite 11.

Zach Goodall

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Photo: DJ Lagway; Credit: Zach Goodall 

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. -- Class of 2024 Florida commitment and Willis (Texas) High quarterback DJ Lagway earned a spot among the nation's finest on Saturday, as he was officially named to the 2023 Elite 11 following the competition's three-day finals event near Los Angeles.

Joining Lagway in the group of 12 honored signal-callers were Julian Sayin (Alabama commit), CJ Carr (Notre Dame), Jadyn Davis (Michigan), Ethan Grunkemeyer (Penn State), Will Hammond (Texas Tech), Hauss Hejny (TCU), Colin Hurley (LSU), Daniel Kaelin (Nebraska), Luke Kromenhoek (Florida State), Air Noland (Ohio State) and Dylan Raiola (Georgia). Sayin was recognized as the Finals MVP. 

Lagway established himself as one of the most intriguing passers at the event from the moment he walked off the bus given his 6-foot-2.5, 230-pound, muscular stature. His big arm took over from there, as Lagway made throws from every arm angle to each level of the field look routine throughout the first workout.

WATCH: Florida QB Commit DJ Lagway at Elite 11 Finals, Day One 

Sports Illustrated-FanNation's team of analysts at Elite 11 offered the following study of Lagway's day-one performance: 

Florida quarterback commit DJ Lagway was by far the No. 1 quarterback in the entire event. He was the first one off the bus, and rightfully so, at 6-2 and 225 pounds. He has an elite muscle twitch and placed the ball well all day on Wednesday. Lagway is a high-level athlete that is running away from Texas high school defenders. He will be an excellent addition to a Florida Gators roster that needs a dynamic talent at quarterback.

Lagway continued to turn heads during the pro day competition on Thursday. In a scripted throwing session, Lagway was SI-FanNation's fifth-highest-graded passer in the outlet's own grading system, with a 48.5-mark out of 60 possible points.

WATCH: Florida QB Commit DJ Lagway at Elite 11 Finals, Pro Day

Continuing to dominate the competition physically as he did on day one, Lagway’s natural arm power was on full display throughout his pro day performance and was highlighted best on some of the script’s toughest tosses. His roughly 55-air-yard pass off of one foot, on the run, targeting a deep corner route at the front right pylon was a perfect example, and he similarly aced passes of difficulty like the running back swing, rail shot and back-of-the-endzone drag routes. Of Lagway’s six incompletions, only one was turnover-worthy; three were dropped by the targeted receiver. 

In a two-event day three, Lagway began his workout with the accuracy challenge in which he was tasked with making eight different throws to four different targets, some on the move and some confined to a pocket. A pair of misses in his first round of tosses appeared to frustrate the quarterback but he bounced back by hitting the majority of his short-to-intermediate targets in the second round of the drill. 

Quarterbacks also participated in seven-on-seven games with a limited group of wide receivers on Friday. Lagway played in the final game. 

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Zach Goodall
ZACH GOODALL

Zach Goodall is the publisher of AllGators.com on FanNation-Sports Illustrated, serving as a beat reporter covering football, recruiting, and occasionally other sports since 2019.  Before moving to Gainesville, Zach spent four years covering the Jacksonville Jaguars for SB Nation (2015-18) and Locked On Podcast Network (2017-19), originally launching his sports journalism career as a junior in high school. He also covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for FanNation-Sports Illustrated (2020-22). In addition to writing and reporting, Zach is a sports photographer and videographer who primarily shoots football and basketball games, practices and related events. When time permits in the 24/7 media realm, Zach enjoys road trips, concerts, golf and microbreweries. 

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