r/FloridaGators • u/womfwag • 19h ago
Football Thoughts on DJ Lagway
I hadn’t seen anyway on this sub discuss DJ’s performance and health after Baylors game against Auburn .
I was curious to see how Gator fans felt watching him and also how we feel about Auburn after their performance.
I found myself split , hoping he would do well but also hoping to be left with a good feeling about his departure..
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u/Florida_clam_diver 19h ago
Literal carbon copy of last year. Some drives where he looked like a star, almost immediately followed by some boneheaded plays
He’s already injured again too (or still injured? Idk)
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u/Megasabletar 13h ago
It’s a sad situation.. I wished for his sake he’d do what Riola did this year and go sit for a year at Texas or something… instead he’s gonna try to carry another broken offense and fail most of the time
He’s not even in the QB draft conversation right now
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u/Gators1992 19h ago
Looked about the same as last year. Also injury prone still. I wish him the best but think it was better that we moved on.
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u/Interesting-Role-596 19h ago
O hope he does well but I am ecstatic that Sumrall didn't keep him around.
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u/ZealousidealType1144 19h ago
Seeing that meatball sub of a throw on the 2pt conversion brought back my PTSD. I think he’s irreparably broken after his dumbass uncle pushed him to play through a shoulder injury that needed surgery in 2024.
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u/Bobgoulet 19h ago
He looked awful. I think Billy broke him as a player.
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u/Shoot-the-Pianist 19h ago
Absolutely but he might just not have “it” regardless
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u/Bobgoulet 19h ago
He did at some point. High School is competitive, you can't be the national player of the year and not have it.
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u/Don_Gato1 19h ago
Lots of top 10 guys in prior recruiting classes who didn’t pan out at the next level.
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u/McHildinger 17h ago
I can think of at least two great college QBs who didn't pan out at the next level either.
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u/SimCFB 17h ago
Yeah but having it at the HS level is not the same as having it at the collegiate level.
Some kids just grow into their bodies faster. He may very well have been a grown man amongst boys. But when he became a grown man amongst other grown men his advantage shrunk.
Maybe the boneheaded plays were always there but the defenses in college are far more likely to pounce on it. And that got buried by all the good plays that he makes. That he is still clearly capable of making albeit not consistently.
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u/Flamen04 18h ago
Plenty of smart high school kids want to be pre med only to fail out of pre med requirements at UF. Same idea.
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u/18RowdyBoy 18h ago
There is no major called pre med.My son graduated with a degree in Cell and Molecular Biology and went straight to Med School.🐊✌️
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u/callycaggles 12h ago
You know what you’re doing with this comment and it makes no sense when we are talking about the likelihood of top HS QBs becoming NFL prospects.
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u/Shoot-the-Pianist 17h ago
I knew a RB from a smaller town in upstate NY. Everyone said he had potential to make it to the NFL, and he broke many records and led his school to several state titles.
He got accepted to Ohio State (around the time Clarett was there) and couldn’t quite get on the field and then transferred to Maryland.
In High school he was able to dominate because of his physical gifts but didn’t have the mentality at a higher level to really unlock his potential. Many who knew him said he was coddled too much as a star player in HS.
DJ gives off similar vibes.
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u/One_Recover_673 17h ago
He looked way better than he did for us. Early in the game, he was on time with the slants…and he brought them from behind and almost pulled it out. Int, fumble but otherwise way better looking
Same result though.
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u/Gomillionaire1206 19h ago
It’s his shoulder he keeps putting off, and he’s fragile with soft tissue injuries too. SEC defenses are tough for him to read but that can be worked out.
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u/Sufficient_Water_326 19h ago
Same dude, different team. Makes easy throws look hard and makes hard throws look easy.
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u/bullsci 19h ago
I have no ill feelings towards DJ, I hope he does well. But I don’t see Baylor going anywhere under Aranda so that was a head-scratcher move to me. I know that’s the area he’s from, but that didn’t stop him from coming to Florida.
I saw he was apparently injured again. That sucks for him but tbh I can’t say I’m surprised at this point. Hope he heals up and has fun, but it was best for both parties for him to leave
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u/moneybags36 16h ago
I don't think he had a lot of "better" options than Baylor, realistically. His performance last year was atrocious, also lingering injury concerns. Perhaps he would be better suited to a non p4 school to gain some confidence back, but I don't think that's his mentality.
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u/Fun-Information-4678 19h ago
I hope he balls out, after seeing that first game I have my doubts he will though.
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u/womfwag 19h ago
It felt like I was wishing an ex gf well.. hoping for the best for her… but something deep down wants to see her get fat
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u/bobsdementias 18h ago
Idk dude I get it but this is a young adult. I don’t want to see him fail in any regard
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u/sum_dude44 19h ago
same Lagway....will make a few amazing plays & then make absolutely boneheaded decisions or try too hard & make bad play. Same ole inconsistency
He really needs a QB guru to salvage him but unfortunately for him Baylor aint it
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u/joemeat 19h ago
He's just not a good QB so far. He's athletic, but he gets hurt and already has a again in the first game because he does stupid shit
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u/sum_dude44 19h ago
Which is why he needs coaching. I think skill is there but Napier broke his brain
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u/Gtr85 14h ago
Maybe. Haven’t coached that level but I’ve coached a lot of QB’s and WR’s in high school, played at a smaller college, and was actually involved with a D-1 program in ‘84 and ‘85. My experience is that technique and situational awareness are easy fixes. Aggression and desire are a completely different world. My perspective is that Lagway has neither aggression nor a burning desire. (He was so amazing growing up he never had to learn those lessons. He just showed up breathing and he was THE man!
Again, that’s my view. And it doesn’t mean he’s not a good person or won’t be a success in life. Just means I’m not seeing the Q everyone thought he was going to be.•
u/McHildinger 17h ago
I hope he gets his degree so he has a chance at something other than football, cuz he'll never be an NFL QB
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u/sum_dude44 17h ago
nah if Driskell, Rattler, AR, Milton can make NFL teams on athletic ability, someone will do same w/ Lagway
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u/DJ_Blakka 14h ago
All of those quarterbacks were significantly better than Lagway in college. Lags has been straight up bad
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u/intx13 19h ago
He looked like DJ Lagway 🤷 Moody, inconsistent, playing scared, with glimpses of raw talent obscured behind mental stuff.
I don’t know if it’s right to entirely blame Napier, but IMO he’s been damaged by poor coaching. I feel like maybe he missed the window the get the coaching he needed to overcome the mental aspects holding him back, and now he’s running out of time, which adds to the stress.
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u/DoggedDoggystyle 19h ago
Dude is simply too injury prone OR he’s that player that always fakes a limp after a bad play. Then when you lose at the end it’s “oh he’s brave for toughing it out” and if he wins “he’s a gladiator that willed his team to a win with the heart of a lion”. In reality he soft as whipped butter
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u/MennionSaysSo 19h ago
Same DJ. Some WOW throws. Some WOW that was stupid. Some why did you do that. Some omg your hurt AGAIN.
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u/Asymmetrical_Anomaly 19h ago
Philo>Lagway
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u/Radiant-Injury-6546 19h ago
I mean DJ no ill will, but I cannot get over Jaden Baugh's comments about Aaron Philo being a leader.
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u/tomsing98 18h ago
“Aaron, I think he’s one of the best leaders I’ve been around,” Baugh said. “Philo came in and improved a lot with just being a leader and just being very, very vocal. I think we kind of needed that a lot last year. Just somebody who was very, very vocal. And having him on the team and on the field is going to be great.”
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u/Radiant-Injury-6546 17h ago
That's why we can be confident in CJS. DJ may have better physical skills than Aaron Philo, but CJS saw that he needed more in the way of leadership to turn this program around. It's only one game, but it sure looks like CJS knew what he was doing.
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u/DJ_Blakka 13h ago
When you look at the demeanor and leadership displayed by Billy and DJ it makes sense why they thought they were a match made in heaven together. Turned out neither had it and both were soft.
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u/Mental_Town_7337 19h ago
Made several NFL-quality throws. Made a lot of bad throws. His pass on the last 2 pt conversion was awful, TE was wide open but he had to spin around for the catch, a good pass wins the game.
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u/TristanTheta 16h ago
Potential Man bails out Auburn after doing exactly what he did with the Gators, one insane pass then 19 meatball subs thrown to the opposite team.
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u/Human_Cobbler5084 19h ago
My thoughts on DJ Lagway? I don’t have any, he doesn’t play for us anymore. Sucks it didn’t work out for him or UF, we all had high hopes. He moved on and this sub needs to move on as well. I’m worried about Aaron Philo and this years team now.
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u/wtfElvis 19h ago
IMO he looked very similar. He also got hurt which also is a similar trend.
For every good throw he probably throws 2-3 bad throws.
The one pass up the middle that the WR dropped for a TD late was one of the best passes in that scenario I have ever seen. 90% in the stadium would’ve caught that ball.
But then on the 2 point conversion he throws it at the worst spot to throw a completed pass needing forward momentum
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u/Americasycho 19h ago
I'm in a workplace pick 'em league that is based off confidence points in a team. Baylor v Auburn was one of the games for our league this week. All the guys on my team picked Baylor. I was the lone holdout who picked Auburn.
They all buzzed me on why I would pick Auburn, and simply put, to me, Lagway is not a good QB. Yeah, he suffered under shithead Napier, but Lagway is still a turnover machine, and too slow to make decisions. Baylor runs the Air Raid and he threw, 54 times in that game alone. He's not built for that either.
Idk, I wish him well.
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u/gatorfan8898 19h ago
I wasn’t rooting against him or really for him, but I’ve always had a feeling there was more to his lack of success than just Napier and staff. I don’t think he’s “him”. Just one game with Baylor, but seems more of the same… bad decisions, turnovers, and seemingly still hurt by some nagging injury. Sure there are plays that remind you of the talent, but it’s very sporadic.
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u/philnotfil 19h ago
He plays for another team, I didn't watch him play and don't have plans to unless he is playing against us.
Good kid, lots of potential, didn't get the coaching he needed here, was also banged up. Hope he gets healthy and gets the coaching he needs to unlock his potential. All the best to him, but he is off my radar.
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u/emerald_immersion 18h ago
Well first he fumbled while running and then not long after threw an interception right into a defenders hands on a 3 yard pass.
He then had some decent throws and offensive management, but i also think Auburn is just not very good
Ultimately it doesn’t look like lagway has improved much at all. After seeing Philo we definitely got the better option
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u/863rays 18h ago
DJ definitely has talent. He lacks consistency, which leads to his wildly varied performances. I think some of that is attributable to poor coaching and some of it to lack of wisdom in getting his body right thru surgery or whatever.
DJ also seems to lack the “competitive fire” that Sumrall is demanding of/instilling in the current crop of Gators. Maybe it’s burning inside him somewhere, but I don’t recall ever seeing any real evidence of it in games or during the offseason. DJ doesn’t need Tebow levels of passion on display, but what he seems to have is probably not enough to be successful at the FBS level.
Regardless, I wish him well as long as he’s not playing UF!!
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u/LithiumLizzard 17h ago
He’s not a Gator anymore, so I don’t really think about him much. I wish him well in the general sort of way in which I wish anyone well, but I have no interest in watching him play, reading his stats, etc. I don’t love him. I don’t hate him. He’s just kind of irrelevant now. I’ll save my football attention for Gator players.
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u/Accurate-Medicine640 16h ago
Same guy. Brilliant, Heisman worthy throws followed by a drive killing mistake usually from a throw off his back foot. Add in the terrible body language and propensity for injury and you have the same exact player that Florida had.
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u/DJ_Blakka 13h ago
A lot of times guys pan out when going to a new place but that’s usually when they haven’t gotten a legitimate opportunity to thrive and show off their talents. DJ had a year and a half with great talent around him and showed nothing
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u/shloop_lord 14h ago
I'm so glad we are rid of him. He sucks, and Baylor already lost directly because of him.
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u/Danimal0511 12h ago
First play I watched was when he barely floated a pass over the LB to his guy. Ppl around me said that was a nice throw, I said i guarantee he never saw the lb. The next throw was a INT to the LB cause he never saw him. Same Lagway, run first qb that doesn’t run lol
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u/Dim-Mak-88 19h ago
I don't see him succeeding enough to go pro, but financially speaking he has already "made it." Hopefully, he is a wise steward of his NIL millions.
I am pleased that the Gators have a new quarterback.
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u/dan7769 19h ago
It was the full DJ Lagway experience- moments of excellence sandwiched around mind-numbing turnovers and an injury. I wish him well, and that offense seems better suited for him than did Napier’s (although that isn’t saying much), but I don’t think he will ever live up to the hype.
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u/mannida 19h ago
More of the same as we saw last year. Some throws looked amazing, and others were not so much. His getting injured early on brought back some trauma from last year as well. I want him to do well, and I hope that he does do well at Baylor, but I'm ok with what we have now after seeing him against Auburn.
I think our offense will do well against Auburn. I think our RB's should have a good day. I'm not overly concerned about the defense yet. Auburn will be fast-paced but not as fast-paced as FAU was. They will have better athletes, though, so I expect a lot of bend-don't-break defense.
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u/RepresentativeTap961 19h ago
Looks lije same ole same ole to me. Im sure when hes done at baylor everything will be baylors fault as well. He is a physically and emtionally fragile big ass child.
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u/Deletinglaterlmao 19h ago
He’s still not good, no need to dwell on it and bully a kid who dont even play for us anymore
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u/sev012 19h ago
I watched some of the game. He had two turnovers during that period I saw. Doesn’t look like there was a lot of progress. He still has the same problem of not reading the underneath linebacker on his second progression leading to bad interceptions. Hopefully he figures it out. I have no ill will towards him. I feel he was given bad advice and poorly managed by a terrible coach.
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u/CaptainlockheedME262 19h ago
I watched the game and it was the same old Lagway. Great plays and bad plays. Lots of yards and few points.
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u/ShikaMoru 19h ago
I thought he did pretty good. I hate that the receivers were dropping so many passes
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u/barb9212 18h ago
Threw some meatball subs, lost them them the game but also showed toughness and I think he’ll be fine in that conference.
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u/WiseDonkey593 18h ago
DJ is a "Wow" player. You'll watch him in a game and say "Wow" for good and bad reasons an equal number of times. "Wow that was a great pass" followed by "Wow that was stupid". On repeat.
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u/_pinklemonade_ 18h ago
If his ankle injury is at all serious he should consider redshirting. He has obvious talent but no consistency. Seems like a good guy. Hope he succeeds.
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u/aarronburr GO GATA 18h ago
The only player that I've wanted to fail after leaving FL was Trevor Etienne. Benedict Arnold mfer.
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u/ExamAccomplished3622 18h ago
At one point the announcers said he told them he loved that at Baylor he felt no pressure to perform.
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u/Gatorbites2210 18h ago
Nothing new from this kid, same style of play, same mistakes, few good flashes but no more..
Gonna be a wash
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u/bigfatsocat 18h ago
I’d like for him to do well. He’s always injured though, so I don’t know if he’ll ever reach his potential.
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u/Upstairs-Pizza-1843 GO GATA 14h ago
Or he's already reached his potential. Occam's Razor!
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u/bigfatsocat 12h ago
Nah, we’ve seen what he’s capable of when he’s 100%. If he’s healthy, he’s a true duel threat that can average 5 yards per carry.
After the UGA game in 2024 when he injured his hamstring, all the way to the next UGA game in 2025, he couldn’t run the ball. But when he can, defenses have to account for him, he can move around the pocket, throw on the run, and step into his passes.
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u/Upstairs-Pizza-1843 GO GATA 12h ago
That's just like your opinion, man. LOL. Thing is, everyone else sees something else: DJ sucks. He doesn't have the intangibles to play QB. He makes boneheaded decisions, like trying to hurdle a grown man instead of putting his shoulder down that resulted in an ankle injury on the first drive of the season. He's slow at running and slow at making decisions. He has no touch on short throws. Not a game manager or motivator. Not a leader and shows no passion for the game. Was always sitting by himself, sulking. Led a talented team to a 4-8 season then quit because he knew he'd lose the job in a true QB competition.
Take DJ"s jockstrap out of your mouth. High school is over. He's done nothing since. Not the first 5star bust, and won't be the last. He sucks and I'm glad he's gone.
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u/32vromeo 17h ago
They were a few inches from winning that game which would’ve changed a lot. I’m hoping for his to succeed but we’ll see
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u/DunKarooDucK05 17h ago
His quote about “I think god forgot about me” told me everything I needed to know about his mental toughness.
He’s sitting here having made millions in NIL money, a body made of granite, playing football at the highest level and he thinks “god forgot about me”
Made it clear to me he has some major mental issues to overcome.
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u/HTX-ByWayOfTheWorld 17h ago
I know he was hurt, but he continues to throw off his back foot… he’s GOT to work on the basics. I was always a fan of his. But he’s thrown too much mud at Florida. At this stage, sorry, I’m indifferent. If he does well, cool. If he doesn’t, glad we’re not stuck with him.
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u/HotDawgConnoisseur 16h ago
Dude is made out of glass unfortunately, makes some incredible throws followed by the dumbest one you’ll ever see. Glad both parties moved on.
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u/CenterOuttie14 16h ago
Pretty much the same. Better body language. Struggled on short throws but pretty deep ball. Still so injury prone.
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u/Buttsweat_n_Tears 13h ago edited 13h ago
He’s no longer a Gator, so it’s not like he’s dead to me….but I just don’t care since he didn’t transfer to any of our rivals.
After all the recruiting hype and seeing the product, he’s basically just our Ron Powlus.
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u/Medical_Fig7662 13h ago
It looked very similar to last year. Feel bad for the damage Billy did to that kid. Crazy how a coach can make or break a recruit.
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u/Commercial_Stress 13h ago
Wish him well, but I don’t miss him. But he’s a good kid, hope he succeeds.
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u/Accomplished_Many650 13h ago
I thought the performance was almost exactly like when he was a Gator. He put up decent numbers, looked good at times, made some key mistakes, and still lost a heartbreaker. Some things will never change!
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u/callycaggles 12h ago
I heard from my Father in Law that his ankle was as buggin him. Idk if true but it definitely fits the bill.
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u/PoolShark1819 12h ago
I think he is a decent college qb, but in the last play, if he hits his guy on the better shoulder, they win. He hits him on the wrong one and they end up a foot short.
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u/Halfway__Somewhere 10h ago
i understand the interest, but i’d prefer that we just move on from Lagway. Just my humble opinion.
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u/t00nedup 19h ago
Can I just be honest? The whole "Oh man I hope he balls out, great kid!!" sentiments on every Lagway thread feel like disingenuous pandering to me. In my opinion his attitude sucked and he wasn't that great of a kid. I am not rooting for him and I am glad him and his "camp" are far away from UF
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u/tomsing98 18h ago
I am actively rooting against him. Lagway ran away rather than competing for the job. He isolated himself from the team while he was here, made dumb decisions about his health that negatively impacted himself and the team, and collected millions of dollars for it. I don't want to see anyone get hurt, but I do hope Baylor loses every game while he's under center.
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u/Infinite_Bird_6932 17h ago
The story goes that the coaches kept him isolated from the team/campus. Maybe that’s a lagway-bias rumor though
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u/tomsing98 13h ago
What possible reason would the coaches have for actively sabotaging team unity like that?
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u/hmccringleberry615 10h ago
He kept them in the game enough to disappointed more in the end… about right
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u/jkidredd 19h ago
I have no thoughts because he doesn't deserve any of them.
If you're not a Gator, you're Gator bait.
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u/Thekila55 18h ago
I didn’t enjoy the Gator fans giving me dirty looks when I said “Ha just DJ things” he still has no heart! Your big you take that ball and you run it in! As always he’s either gonna throw a pick or throw it behind the Receiver.
Best of luck to his health but he was never built to be a Gator.
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u/superzoot__ 19h ago
he’s no longer a gator why does it matter to discuss him here? go to baylor reddit
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u/chris2furry GO GATA 19h ago
I watched the first half or so and he pretty much looked like the same player we saw at UF