The college football transfer portal is wide open, with thousands of players entering their names. One of the most notable is former Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway.
Lagway entered the portal as the No. 4-ranked quarterback and the No. 11 overall transfer, according to 247Sports. He was a former five-star prospect and the No. 3 overall recruit in the country.
After two seasons with the Gators, Lagway is now looking for a new program following Florida’s decision to fire head coach Billy Napier. Not long after the 2025 regular season ended, Florida hired Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall as the program’s 31st head coach.
While Lagway initially indicated he intended to stay in Gainesville, Sumrall’s arrival appeared to change that. According to CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer, the first meeting between Lagway and Sumrall did not go well.
“New Florida head coach Jon Sumrall questioned who Lagway is as a football player,” Hummer wrote. “The new staff opted to challenge the high-priced quarterback, pushing him on his competitiveness and work ethic.”
Lagway’s NIL valuation is reportedly $2 million, according to On3, ranking him as the No. 18 player in college football in NIL value.
“He didn’t care about the money,” a source told Hummer. “He didn’t care about them bringing someone else in. He just wanted to hear, ‘You have the ability, and we want to coach it out of you.’”
Whether that assessment holds true or not, Lagway has already begun taking visits — and one in particular has stood out.
DJ Lagway Visits Gators Rival
One of Lagway’s first visits raised eyebrows. He recently traveled to Tallahassee to visit Florida State, one of Florida’s biggest rivals.
Early reports from Warchant’s Matt LaSerre were overwhelmingly positive. Lagway said he was “on cloud nine” after visiting with the Seminoles and came away impressed by the coaching staff.
Lagway believes Florida State’s staff could help him take the next step in his development.
DJ Lagway Gets Strong Comparison to Former Auburn Legend
Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and quarterbacks coach Austin Tucker were among the first to contact Lagway once he entered the portal.
“They said they liked what they saw on film, and they wanted to meet me in person and come up here and check everything that Florida State had to offer,” Lagway said. “And I really did love it. It’s really nice up here. Excited for the relationship to continue to build.”
Malzahn, in particular, may have struck a chord with Lagway by comparing him to former Auburn star Cam Newton.
“He said he sees some similarities between me and Cam Newton, so he had it cut up for me and stuff like that,” Lagway said. “We watched some ball, and that was probably my favorite part of the whole visit. Watching ball with Coach Malzahn and Coach Tuck and just seeing how I could fit in the offense — I could see it really well.”
Malzahn, of course, served as Newton’s offensive coordinator during his historic Heisman Trophy season at Auburn, which culminated in a national championship. Lagway possesses similar size and athletic traits, making the comparison at least understandable.
Lagway’s biggest hurdle moving forward will be durability. Injuries limited his availability during his two seasons at Florida, often disrupting his production and momentum.
His next visit will also be within the ACC, at Virginia.
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