Scouting Report and Highlights: Gators QB Commit DJ Lagway

All Gators breaks down the skill-set of new Florida Gators quarterback commit DJ Lagway.

The Florida Gators made a huge splash in the 2024 cycle when elite signal-caller DJ Lagway announced that he would be committing to Florida on Wednesday. 

Should his consensus five-star ranking and commitment hold, Lagway will become the highest-ranked quarterback to sign with the Gators since Jeff Driskel in 2011, per the 247Sports Composite. Hailing from Willis (Texas), the blue-chip prospect has been the Wildcats' starter since his sophomore year and has improved his play each season. 

All Gators went to the film room to break down the Gators' latest commit, as Lagway is sure to generate national buzz around the program for his skill set.

Jr szn highlights ( 8 games played) pic.twitter.com/a8WhRwaFH0

— LAG ✞ (@DerekLagway) November 6, 2022

Scouting Report

Physically, Lagway is very developed for a high school junior. Standing at around 6-foot-2.5, 225 pounds, he’s built more like a running back or even a big slot than a traditional quarterback prospect and often uses his stature to his advantage.

Don't let his build take away from his promise as a passer, though.

Lagway shows impressive arm strength that is verified by his 67-yard throw at the QB Retreat out in California over the summer, coupled with the velocity required to fit the ball into tight windows. 

He also displayed consistent accuracy at all three levels throughout his junior campaign, including a pretty deep ball with touch to lead his target down the field. He does a good job of standing tall in the pocket and tends to deliver a catchable ball to the receiver in stride.

Lagway does a great job of sliding in the pocket to extend plays and when he scrambles, he scrambles to throw, keeping his eyes down the field until the last possible moment. However, when it’s time to take off, he does so very effectively.

His legs are a huge weapon and at his size, Lagway is not easy to bring down. He shows good speed and vision when he pulls the ball down to run, and while he’s not a burner, he can take it the distance at any time.

Where Lagway can continue to develop as a passer is a matter of mechanics. While not prone to it, Lagway sometimes banks on his arm strength to make a tough throw instead of setting his base and following through on his release. He can get away with making these kinds of risky throws in high school but will want to eliminate similar situations at the college level when possible, instead keeping plays within structure.

During his sophomore campaign, Lagway put up 1,579 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions on 55 percent passing. 

He greatly boosted those numbers as a junior, though, racking up 2,081 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions on an impressive 67-percent completion percentage, a huge uptick from the year before. He also ran for over 500 yards and at least six touchdowns in both seasons.

Overall, Lagway is an elite-level quarterback prospect that has the ability to be a program and perception-altering recruit for head coach Billy Napier and his staff. That makes two since Napier took over in Gainesville after the Gators flipped 2023 signal-caller Jaden Rashada from Miami in November.

As mentioned above, the Gators have not landed a five-star QB in over 10 years and it looks like Lagway is going to change that. This is the type of recruit that other elite players want to play with and Florida was able to get him on board early. 

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