The Early Signing Day period for the Class of 2024 has taken over social media as the future of college football signs their National Letters of Intent. With NLIs flying and classes being announced around the country, one remaining piece of the puzzle for the Florida Gators remains: Will QB DJ Lagway sign on Early Signing Day?
Lagway is the centerpiece of the college football rumors on Signing Day.
DJ Lagway Rumors: Will He Sign With Florida?
The latest on DJ Lagway is simple. A rumor appeared late in the day on Tuesday, December 19, that stated Lagway was set to flip to the USC Trojans on Early Signing Day.
Sure, the rumor came from a team account for the Trojans, but the recent lack of success from the Florida program has caused even the most diehard fans to question whether or not the Billy Napier regime can land a player of Lawgay’s caliber.
Given last year’s debacle with QB Jaden Rashada, it’s clear the fears from those tied to the UF program are rooted in fact, not faith.
On3 reported that Lagway has the potential to be one of the top earners of the entire class of 2024 with NIL deals and the like. Can the Gators actually land a player with the prestigious NIL claims behind him?
As of 10:00 a.m. ET on Early Signing Day, Lagway remained unsigned as the Gators announced their Signing Day class. However, 15 hours prior to signing day, Lagway sent a post on social media of him in a Gators’ uniform and a simple post that also included a Gator emoji.
UPDATE – As of 2:30 p.m. ET, Lagway is scheduled to have a 3:00 p.m. ET ceremony in which he’ll announce his final decision. Latest reports from people near his camp have told 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong enough that Wiltfong still expects him to sign with Florida.
However, a further conversation that went into detail with Lagway’s father, Derek, added a bit more confusion to the mix.
“He just told me he got off the phone with him,” Derek reportedly said to Wiltfong. “I thought he was done with that. I guess he saw he hadn’t signed yet so I guess he’ll keep calling I guess.”
UPDATE – At 4:15 p.m. ET, Lagway met with ESPN2’s National Signing Day Special. Lagway spoke about his status with the program and said he had already sent in his NLI to sign with the Florida Gators.
He also expressed how excited he is that head coach Billy Napier will lead this team into greatness in the future. Lagway said he’s already learned from current QB Graham Mertz and informed those viewing that he shadowed Mertz on a visit. He’ll now conceivably back up Mertz in 2024 before presumably taking over the job in 2025.
Lagway ranks as the third overall quarterback on the consensus rankings. Recruiting sits 247Sports and On3 have him as the No. 2 overall quarterback, while ESPN and Rivals rank Lagway third overall.
MORE: Top 2024 QB Recruit Rankings
Signing Day knows drama, and the Gators quarterback situation is once again at the forefront of that drama.
Miss any action from the top college QB Rankings during the 2023 football season? Want to track all the movement with the college football’s transfer portal? College Football Network has you covered with that and more!