DJ Lagway’s shocking transfer portal options suggest that Florida Gators might be better off without him, including one that is unforgiveable

Jon Sumrall got a big surprise quickly after accepting the Florida Gators head coaching job when quarterback DJ Lagway decided to enter the transfer portal.

The decision was an odd one for Lagway, who had two seasons in Gainesville with the Gators and started 20 games for the program. He was a five-star recruit coming out of Willis, Texas, and went 11-9 in his starts, completeing 62% of his passes for 4,179 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. Those aren’t eye-popping stats for Lagway heading into his third season, but the raw talent and ability have been there the entire time.

Despite that raw talent and ability, the lack of production in year two has hurt Lagway’s future potential.

DJ Lagway’s transfer options prove the grass isn’t always greener

When Lagway first announced his intention to enter the transfer portal, top schools were immediately linked to him. The Miami Hurricanes, LSU Tigers, and Texas Tech Red Raiders all came up in those early discussions. Now that the portal is open, none of those schools appear to be interested in Lagway.

On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos listed four schools being interested in Lagway: Baylor Bears, Louisville Cardinals, Virginia Cavaliers, and the emerging Florida State Seminoles, who are hosting Lagway on a visit this weekend.

Visiting Florida State is a big slap in the face to the Gators, who are one of their biggest rivals, but that is an entirely different discussion. What comes across is how much of a step down these four schools are from Florida.

Baylor feels like an odd school on this list, but Lagway’s father went to Baylor, and having that element will keep them in the mix. The vertical passing offenses run by both Louisville and Virginia do fit what Lagway does well, but there is little prestige with those two programs.

Florida State is the wild card here, as they just lost Tommy Castellanos to the NFL Draft and need a starting quarterback this year. He would theoretically thrive with offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s run-heavy approach paired with a vertical passing game.

However, going to Tallahassee would be unforgivable for the fanbase. For Lagway, there might be revenge on his mind after his initial meeting with Sumrall went poorly.

“Lagway’s initial meeting with the new Florida staff did not go well, per multiple sources. New Florida head coach Jon Sumrall questioned who Lagway is as a football player. The new staff opted to challenge the high-priced QB wanting more.

“He didn’t care about the money,” a second source said. “He didn’t care about them bringing someone else in. He just wanted to hear you have the ability, and we want to coach it out of you.”

However you want to look at the situation, Lagway isn’t going to be a winner here, and he may see the Gators get significantly better with Georgia Tech’s Aaron Philo already predicted to commit to the program.

Related: Florida Gators Transfer Portal Tracker: Updates on players leaving Gainesville led by DJ Lagway

Related: Jon Sumrall has game changing defender in the transfer portal set to visit Gators, and he has ties to Florida

Related: Florida Gators receive expert prediction to land transfer portal player who will make Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III happy

This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Jan 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.