 Lagway after the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class | Sophomore |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 13, 2005 Willis, Texas, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 241 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Willis (Willis, Texas) |
| College |
|
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at ESPN | |
Derek "DJ" Lagway Jr. (born August 13, 2005) is an American college football quarterback who is currently in the NCAA Transfer Portal. He previously played for the Florida Gators.
Lagway attended Willis High School in Willis, Texas. [1] [2] As a junior in 2022, he passed for 2,081 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions. [3] Prior to his senior season in 2023, Lagway participated in the Elite 11. [4] As a senior, he passed for 4,631 yards with a Texas Class 6A record 58 touchdown passes, and added 975 rushing yards with 15 touchdowns. [5] [6] He was named the MaxPreps National Player of the Year [7] and Mr. Texas Football. [8] For his career, Lagway had 8,392 passing yards and 100 passing touchdowns with 2,196 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns. [9]
A five-star recruit, Lagway committed to the University of Florida to play college football. [10] [11] [12]
Lagway entered his true freshman season with the Florida Gators in 2024 as the backup to Graham Mertz. [13] After Mertz was placed in concussion protocol following the season opener against Miami, Lagway was named the starting quarterback against Samford. [14] In his first ever start, Lagway threw for 456 yards and 3 touchdowns. [15] Over the following few games, Lagway split playing time with Mertz. [16] Mertz suffered a season-ending injury against Tennessee and Lagway was inserted as the team's starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. [17]
Lagway's first game after Mertz's injury was a 48-20 victory over rival Kentucky. In his start against Georgia, Lagway suffered a left hamstring injury and was carted off. [18] After missing only one game of action, he returned for the final three games of the regular season, defeating #22 LSU, #9 Ole Miss, and Florida State. [19] He also started when the Gators defeated Tulane 33-8 in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl.
In his seven starts, he helped lead Florida to a 6–1 record and a bowl win. [20]
Lagway opened the season as the starting quarterback. [21] Against the LSU Tigers he suffered the worst performance of his career, finishing 33 of 49 for 287 yards, one touchdown, and 5 interceptions. [22] The Gators lost the game 20-10, with one of the two touchdowns allowed coming off of a Lagway interception. Against the Texas Longhorns, Lagway passed for 298 yards in the Gators 29-21 victory and he was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. [23] [24] Lagway followed up his performance against Texas by throwing for two touchdowns in a loss versus Texas A&M, as well as two interceptions in a win versus Mississippi State, after which coach Billy Napier was fired and wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales was elevated to interim head coach. In December 15, 2025, Lagway announced that he’ll be entering the NCAA transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility remaining.
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2024 | Florida | 12 | 7 | 6−1 | 115 | 192 | 59.9 | 1,915 | 10.0 | 12 | 9 | 154.9 | 50 | 101 | 2.0 | 0 | |
| 2025 | Florida | 7 | 7 | 3–4 | 145 | 222 | 65.3 | 1,513 | 6.5 | 9 | 9 | 127.8 | 35 | 12 | 0.3 | 0 | |
| Career | 18 | 13 | 8–5 | 240 | 380 | 63.2 | 3,148 | 8.3 | 21 | 16 | 142.6 | 80 | 105 | 1.3 | 0 | ||
He is the son of Derek and Nikita Nephew Lagway. His father, Derek Lagway, played college football at Baylor University. [25]
