DJ Lagway will get his first career start for the Florida Gators in Week 2 of the college football season. Where did Lagway play high school football? Here’s a closer look at the path that Lagway took to get where he is today and the turn of events that led to him becoming a collegiate starter.
Exceptional High School Career Led to DJ Lagway Starting at Florida
Lagway played high school football at Willis High School in Willis, Texas. At Willis, Lagway was not only a local legend but a national star on the high school stage who achieved almost unforeseen production in his senior season. Lagway gave onlookers a preview of his senior year production in his junior campaign, passing for 2,081 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. Lagway’s early ascent earned him a place at the Elite 11 Throwing Camp, and his 2023 performance magnified his stock. MORE: Simulate the College Football Season With CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor As a senior at Willis in 2023, Lagway threw for 4,631 yards and 58 TDs — the latter of which was a record for Texas Class 6A. On top of those gaudy passing stats, Lagway also accounted for nearly 1,000 yards and 15 scores on the ground. In total, Lagway registered 5,606 total yards and 73 total TDs his senior year — monster numbers for a college football hopeful. Lagway had the production, and standing at around 6’3″, 230 pounds, he had the tools, too — ready-made as a potential CFB starter and eventual NFL Draft prospect. He was unsurprisingly granted a five-star recruit billing, and on some outlets, he was ranked as the top QB recruit in the nation.
How Did Lagway End Up at Florida?
Lagway fielded scholarship offers from just about every notable CFB program at the power conference level. Among the interested schools were Alabama, LSU, USC, Texas A&M, and Clemson. But Lagway would ultimately sign with the Florida Gators. At Florida, Lagway would have a starting opportunity in the near future, with Graham Mertz entering his sixth season. And Lagway was also able to flourish in the NIL realm at Florida, signing a deal with Gatorade. Lagway was slated to be Mertz’s backup for the 2024 campaign after Mertz revitalized his career in 2023. However, Mertz suffered a concussion in the Gators’ lopsided Week 1 loss against the Miami Hurricanes, paving the way for Lagway to see the field sooner than expected.