5 Transfer Portal Landing Spots for Former Florida QB DJ Lagway

The hits keep coming for the Florida Gators after a disappointing 2025 season. They entered the season as a fringe contender, but after a shocking blowout loss to the University of South Florida in Week 2, they plummeted down the rankings.

After a 3-4 start to the season, the team made the decision to fire head coach Billy Napier. Now, quarterback DJ Lagway has announced that he intends to enter the transfer portal. Let’s take a look at the top five landing spots for the 20-year-old quarterback.

What Are the Best Landing Spots for Gators QB DJ Lagway?

Lagway, a Texas native, spent two up-and-down seasons with the Gators. During those two seasons, he threw 328 passes for 4,179 yards and 28 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

PFSN’s College Football QB Impact metric gave him a grade of C- and a score of 71.2 for the 12 games he played in 2025. However, Lagway has a big arm and a lot of potential that makes it likely many programs will be hoping to bring him on board.

James Madison

JMU is perhaps the most obvious choice. The Dukes have hired Napier, Lagway’s old Gators coach. While there is no definitive proof that Lagway feels solid enough, or vice versa, for the two to want to reconnect, it is certainly probable.

JMU is a Group of Five school, which might seem like a step down for many, but Lagway needs to go to a school where his talents can shine, and no one knows him better than Napier.

Indiana

The Hoosiers have been the Cinderella team of college football in 2025. They were once the losingest program in college football, but head coach Curt Cignetti has turned them around completely.

Sources: Florida quarterback DJ Lagway intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal. He’s a former Top 10 recruit who was ESPN’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2024. pic.twitter.com/IjpQjUovbj

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 15, 2025

That turnaround has brought a lot of attention to the program and put the spotlight on their quarterback, Fernando Mendoza. While Mendoza could return to Indiana, many feel that the newest Heisman Trophy Award winner will declare for the draft. If that’s true, they will need a replacement, and Lagway may find himself drawn in by the top program in the nation.

Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide was once the toughest program in college football. Under former head coach Nick Saban, the Tide won six national championships. Saban’s replacement, Kalen DeBoer, has been struggling to find his football footing in Tuscaloosa.

Now, his quarterback, Ty Simpson, will likely declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. Lagway reportedly had interest in Alabama as a recruit and might take the opportunity to join the Tide. If he is successful, there isn’t a much bigger stage than the SEC to get NFL coaches’ attention.

Texas Tech

There were two schools that doggedly pursued Lagway as he was a recruit, and Texas Tech was one of them. The Red Raiders quarterback, Behren Morton, is a senior and is also expected to declare for the draft.

While Lagway took a lot of heat while he was a Gator for his inconsistent play, it wasn’t all his fault. Napier had failed to surround Lagway with the talent he needed to be successful. That would likely be a non-factor at Texas Tech, where the team is flush with weapons and a potent defense that would help alleviate the pressure.

Baylor

Baylor was the second team that heavily pursued Lagway out of high school. The fact that two Texas colleges wanted to keep the quarterback close to home isn’t surprising. Not only is Baylor less than two hours from Lagway’s hometown of Willis, but his father also played for Baylor.

Their current quarterback, Sawyer Robertson, is a senior and is also likely to enter the draft. Baylor would not give Lagway the same spotlight as Alabama, but it would allow him to step in and shine.