DJ Lagway, once the five-star-plus savior expected to be Florida’s quarterback of the future, has officially jetted from Gainesville, landing at Baylor for a fresh start. And Gators legend Tim Tebow isn’t holding back, openly declaring that the young signal-caller absolutely “needed a new environment” to save his career.
From Superstar Hopes to Spiraling Disaster
Remember 2024? Lagway arrived on campus as the No. 3 ranked player in his class, destined to take over from Graham Mertz. When Mertz went down with a season-ending injury in Florida’s sixth game against Tennessee, the true freshman was thrust into the starting role. He lit it up, leading the Gators to a scorching 5-1 record over their final six games, including massive ranked victories over No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 22 LSU, plus a 33-8 beatdown of Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl. Everyone was talking Heisman contender for 2025!
Then, the bottom fell out. Lagway entered the 2025 season with nagging injuries, and it showed. In the second game against USF, he was held to a measly 222 yards passing in an 18-16 loss. That was a gut punch, Florida’s first-ever loss to South Florida after going 3-0 against them. The next week against No. 3 LSU? Five brutal interceptions in a 20-10 defeat. He played all 12 games, finishing with 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns, and a cringe-worthy 14 interceptions. The Gators cratered to a 4-8 record, and head coach Billy Napier got canned just seven games in. The writing was on the wall: Lagway hit the Transfer Portal, searching for an escape.
Tebow: “Not Enough Help Around Him”
Ahead of Lagway’s Baylor debut, Tim Tebow went full transparency on ‘The Paul Finebaum Show’, explaining exactly what went wrong. “I think DJ needed a new opportunity,” Tebow said. “There was so much pressure on him. There was not enough help around him in Gainesville.” Ouch. He continued, “When things started to spiral, there was not enough people stepping up, being able to take some of the blame.”
Tebow, always a class act, made it clear he’s rooting for Lagway, calling him a “very likable young man” and “pretty talented.” But the message was clear: “I just think there was way too much pressure on him to start. He needed a new environment.” Tebow believes this fresh start means Lagway “will play with a lot more joy, and I think when he does that, I think he’ll have an opportunity to play to the best of his ability.” It’s a harsh assessment of the Florida program’s support structure, coming from one of its biggest legends.
Lagway now has “full reign” of the Baylor program under head coach Dave Aranda, a team that went 5-7 last season. His tenure as a Bear kicks off Saturday against Auburn and its first-year head coach Alex Golesh. You remember Golesh, right? He’s the guy who led USF to that shocking win over the Gators last season. All eyes are on Lagway to see if he can truly play to his best ability, just like Tebow hopes, and ignite a new era for Baylor.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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