"They're going to build around me": DJ Lagway discloses why he committed to play college football at Florida

Following an impressive freshman season, DJ Lagway is expected to lead the Florida offense in the 2025 college football season. The quarterback took over the starting job halfway through last season following Graham Mertz’s injury and had an impressive outing as the starting QB.

Appearing on a recent installment of the Outta Pocket with RGIII podcast, which was released on Tuesday, Lagway explained why he chose to play college football at Florida. He had offers from USC, Texas A&M, LSU, Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, and Oregon, among others, but he ended up choosing the Gators.

"Florida is a place that they're going to build around me and let me get out there and learn and develop me,” Lagway said. “I feel like that's the biggest thing, especially being a young quarterback.

"These days, you gotta go somewhere you can get developed," the QB added. "I feel like Florida was the place for me, and I feel like it's definitely happening. I'm getting better each and every day on different things like coverage recognition, protections and all the good stuff like that."

DJ Lagway explains the difference between high school and college football

High school and college football are two different levels that players pass through before becoming professionals in the sport. The two stages, which contribute to player development, come with their own dynamics.

DJ Lagway explained the difference during his appearance on the Outta Pocket with RGIII podcast and said:

"Really just kind of being, as my coach called it, a 'situational expert.' That's what he calls it. Knowing the situations of different games. Like when we're in the fringe, you can't take a sack. That will hurt field goal position."

"Little things like that, in high school you really don't think about because, first of all, the kicker can't really kick it that far," the Florida Gator said. "And second of all, it's just not on that big of a scale. Points really matter in college. In high school, you're scoring 60 to 70 a game almost. In college, it's 30s, 25, so all points are valuable.”

Having had a brilliant career in high school, DJ Lagway is hoping to replicate that on the collegiate stage. Lagway won the Mr. Texas Football award in 2023 during his time with Willis High.

The upcoming season will be crucial for him as he is seen as the quarterback who will take Florida back to the top. He threw for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns last season and was also the MVP of the Gasparilla Bowl.