One of the most notable names in the transfer portal reportedly made his decision Thursday.
Hayes Fawcett of On 3 Sports reported Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway committed to Baylor.
Pete Nakos of On3 originally listed Baylor among the “early schools to watch” alongside Miami and Lane Kiffin’s LSU, although other potential landing spots arose since he entered the portal.
Ultimately, though, it was the Bears that prevailed.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Monday that Lagway visited Florida State and Virginia, while Nakos noted he visited Baylor on Wednesday.
At this point, the story with Lagway is more about potential than on-field results.
He arrived at Florida as a 5-star prospect and the No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. Expectations were sky-high, and he ended up starting during his freshman campaign.
However, he completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions during that freshman season. Despite the inconsistent production, expectations were once again high ahead of his sophomore campaign.
Yet they largely disappeared when he threw five interceptions in a loss to LSU in the Gators’ SEC opener in September. That was part of a three-game losing streak in the early portion of the season, and Florida never bounced back on the way to a 4-8 record.
Lagway was better at times while completing 63.2 percent of his passes for 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, but he still didn’t turn into the superstar Florida was hoping for during his recruitment.
Perhaps a change of scenery after two years of collegiate experience will help him fully unlock that potential next season for the Bears.
Baylor is coming off a disappointing 5-7 campaign and was never a realistic threat in the Big 12. However, it now has its quarterback in place for what will be Dave Aranda’s seventh season.
Aranda is under plenty of pressure to win, and how Lagway plays will go a long way toward determining if he does.