DJ Lagway is headed back to his roots for the 2026 college football season, transferring from Florida to Baylor after a turbulent year in Gainesville, Florida. The move gives Baylor a former five-star quarterback with real upside and sends him into a program he has known since childhood.
Lagway said the fit felt right because of Baylor’s staff, his family ties and the chance to reset. He grew up in Willis, Texas, and said Waco, Texas, was close enough to feel like home, just over a two-hour drive away. His father, Derek Lagway, starred at running back for Baylor from 1997-2001, so the program was already part of his story long before the transfer window opened.
The timing matters because Lagway was supposed to break out at Florida in 2025, but the season went the other way. He threw 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 12 starts as Florida finished 4-8, and Billy Napier was fired after that collapse. Once Florida changed coaching staffs, Lagway entered the transfer portal and started looking for a place that felt different.
What he found at Baylor was not just geography. Jake Spavital, Baylor’s offensive coordinator, had already built a reputation for helping Sawyer Robertson become one of the best passers in college football over the last two seasons, and he has coached Geno Smith, Johnny Manziel and Will Grier as well. Lagway said that was a major selling point, along with the way the offense is run and what he saw from Robertson’s development.
Still, the transfer is about more than scheme. Lagway said he felt isolated in Gainesville, Florida, and described himself as being in a bubble. He said he was really closed off, did not hang out much with teammates and did not even know what the campus looked like. He also said he was depressed, a stark admission from a player once viewed as one of the most promising young quarterbacks in the country.
For Lagway, the move also changes daily life. He said he will go to class in person for the first time as a college student since transferring to Baylor, a detail that makes the change feel less like a roster move and more like a return to normal. He said he wants to keep learning the offense and keep getting better, which is the kind of answer Baylor wanted when it went looking for a quarterback who could settle in quickly.
The next test comes fast. Baylor opens the season against Auburn on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and Lagway’s arrival ensures that the Bears’ quarterback situation will draw attention from the start. The move has given Baylor a homecoming story and a fresh start, but it has also put Lagway back in the middle of the spotlight he was expected to own at Florida.
