The latest college football firing could have an impact on the transfer portal landscape. As Florida cuts ties with Billy Napier, the Gators are in danger of losing several star players, including quarterback DJ Lagway.
The former highly touted recruit’s season has not gone quite as planned. Lagway has battled injuries and his play this season has been inconsistent as the Gators QB1. With Napier out in Gainesville, ESPN’s Eli Lederman, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg floated Texas A&M as a potential landing spot for Lagway.
DJ Lagway: “I’m extremely grateful for Coach Napier and everything he’s done for me and my family.” pic.twitter.com/Ink5qX5OhP
— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) October 19, 2025
“Can the next head coach keep Lagway in Gainesville?” ESPN detailed on Sunday. “The sophomore QB has been extremely loyal to Napier and invested in building up this program with him. The retention of Lagway will likely be a major priority for whomever takes this job. … He will still likely have an opportunity to be one of the highest-paid QBs in the country next year, regardless of how his sophomore season plays out.
“If the Texas native wants to play closer to home, he’ll have options. Texas A&M tried hard to flip Lagway’s recruitment at the last minute after Mike Elko took over in December 2023. His father, Derek Lagway, played at Baylor in the late 1990s.”
Two important notes on Lagway’s future, starting with the obvious fact that the quarterback is not a guarantee to transfer just because Napier has been fired. Secondly, the Aggies already have a star quarterback in Marcel Reed who has performed better than Lagway throughout 2025. All this makes College Station as a landing spot for Lagway murky at best.
Five-star QB DJ Lagway on the late push from USC and Texas A&M pic.twitter.com/N3xGo3FlSr
— Nick Marcinko (@marcinko_nick) December 29, 2023
If Lagway does enter the college football transfer portal, the quarterback could still command a sizable deal despite his recent struggles. On3 projects that Lagway’s NIL value is $2 million.
Prior to Napier’s firing, Lagway threw for 1,513 yards, 9 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 65.3% of his passes in his first seven appearances of 2025. As Florida searches for a new head coach, there will be plenty of teams interested in enticing Lagway to enter the transfer portal.