Well, the DJ Lagway era in Gainesville has officially gone belly up. Florida is far from being the championship contender a lot of people thought they would be this year, and now that Billy Napier is out, the question becomes: What happens to the one player who had the leverage to help him keep his job? The easy thing is to assume that Lagway will follow Napier wherever he lands, but not necessarily.
Napier had play-calling duties at Florida and that was a clear mistake, as he was never able to develop Lagway the way he was supposed to. Therefore, it’s not out of the question to think the young passer would look for a team and a coach that will help him actually reach that potential. Then again, if the Gators bring in the right coach, he may not have to leave after all.
Here are four destinations for Lagway as his future in Gainesville could be all but over. If it is, there’s no shortage of teams and coaches that would love nothing more than to resurrect his college football career before it’s too late.
1. Florida State Seminoles
I’m not too high on Lagway moving to another Power 4 team unless it’s the right situation, and I think joining Gus Malzahn and Mike Norvell with in-state rival Florida State might just work. This year, though things have settled down, Thomas Castellanos breathed life into a team that was in the depths of college football standings. With this being Castellanos’ last year of eligibility, Lagway could be the best replacement.
To be fair, Lagway is trending toward DJ Uiagalelei territory, and that’s a nightmare Norvell and his staff can’t afford again. I wouldn’t be shocked if Norvell opted to pass on Lagway, but it’s an intriguing move nonetheless. Lagway will have to be smart in where he lands as it will probably be his last chance to prove he’s still an NFL-caliber quarterback.
For what it’s worth, Malzahn was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach when Cam Newton was there. Lagway has drawn comparisons to Newton since high school, so landing with Florida State might not be a bad move.
2. LSU Tigers
Like Florida State, LSU will be in the market for a new quarterback after this season concludes. Though the Tigers did pick up Michael Van Buren out of the transfer portal from Mississippi State last winter, they may want a flashier move as they look to replace Garrett Nussmeier. The quarterback room is pretty young, so truthfully, bringing in Lagway and his experience might not be a bad idea.
LSU would need a much better offensive gameplan if they want to improve with Lagway under center. That said, it could just work out. Because the hype around Lagway has drastically died down and he’s been exposed for not being as good as he was supposed to, the demand for him may not be as high. That said, offensive-minded coaches likely can't jump fast enough at the chance to build Lagway back up.
3. Tennessee Volunteers
This makes sense for a couple reasons. For one, Joey Aguilar was a one-year option and really a quick solution to the Vols' post-Nico Iamaleava quarterback problem. But what we learned from the Iamaleava situation last year is that Josh Heupel and his offensive staff made Iamaleava look better than he actually was. He didn’t look that great and still led the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff.
Heupel might just be able to save Lagway like he made Iamaleava look respectable in Knoxville. It would be a tall task, but it’s not out of the question to think that Heupel could look to a post-hype quarterback as an option for next year.
Lagway is talented; he just needs a coach to help him fully unlock his potential. Heupel did it once, so it’s possible it will happen again. I think if he does have a big season next year with a new coach, it will only be with someone that can fully unlock his potential.
4. Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss is on this list under the premise Lane Kiffin doesn’t leave Oxford to take the job in Gainesville. If Kiffin lands at Florida, there’s a good chance he can convince Lagway to stay. After all, Kiffin turned Matt Corral and Jaxson Dart into NFL quarterbacks, with Dart now the starter in New York.
Kiffin is probably the best coach to save Lagway, whether that’s in Oxford or in Gainesville. He found an unlikely star quarterback in Trinidad Chambliss, and Austin Simmons might just be the odd man out. But if he could end up coaching someone like Lagway, I don’t see him passing up that opportunity.
Again, I'm convinced that Kiffin will be a serious candidate to take Napier’s job. But if he stays at Ole Miss, I wouldn’t put it past Kiffin to snag Lagway out of the transfer portal if he enters after the season.