Yet another story of ‘at the end of the day your talent matters, and nothing else.’ Now, who is the hero of this story? It’s none other than the Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway. Fans might have thought that Lagway’s duty ended after saving Billy Napier’s head coaching seat, relieving the head coach from the clasp of his buyout. But what if it’s just the beginning for Lagway? He might belong to a program that does not hold much potential to punch the playoff tickets walking into 2025. But this did not stop the NFL spotlight from falling upon Lagway. Not just this, he ended up being compared to a $17 million worth Penn State Nittany Lions star. Meanwhile, Napier is indeed happy about Lagway’s hype. But at the moment, he is going to great lengths to secure his own seat. Do you remember how Lagway kept the crowd at the edge of their seats at The Swamp on September 7 eve? The Graham Mertz replacement left fans with only one cheer, “DJ! DJ! DJ!” Mertz got sidelined after suffering an upper-body injury as he took a hit during the third quarter against Miami on August 31. Filling into his shoes, Lagway ensured that the fans did not miss Mertz even for a moment. The freshman QB came off with flying colors as he went 18-25 with 456 yards and three TDs, crushing Samford to mere specks of dust. All these highlight feats did not go unnoticed. On June 3, NFL Rookie Watch dedicated a post only to Lagway. The opening statement of the caption read, “DJ Lagway is built like an absolute TANK at the QB position.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by NFL Rookie Watch (@nflrookiewatch)Well, no doubt in that. Hardly did the Gators fans expect his inaugural start would also end up breaking the years-long record. Until September 7, Chris Leak held the record for 21 long years. Leak had racked up 286 yards in his first start vs Kentucky and gifted the Gators with a 24-21 win, back in 2003. However, in no time, Lagway struck off Leak’s name in the record book. Now, what better way to pick NFL attention? NFL Rookie Watch reported, “One NFL scout reportedly believes Lagway is one of the “scariest built” QB prospects to ever play the game.” No, it’s definitely not false flattery. Lagway is now compared to the 2021 NFL Draft’s Dallas Cowboys’ defensive end pick Micah Parson, who signed a four-year contract with the NFL giant worth $17 million.As the NFL scout shared, “He’s Micah Parsons playing QB. Defenders have more trouble bringing him down than any other player on the offense.” To nudge your memory a little, Parsons has never had more than 14 sacks in a season, but he’s had at least 12 in each of his four years. He and Lagway are also of similar stature. Lagway stands at 6’3”, weighing 240 pounds, while Parsons plays at 6’3”, 245 pounds. The Gators quarterback’s immediate competitors in college are taller than him such as Arch Manning stands at 6’4,” and Drew Allar stands at 6’5.” However, even then, he is ‘regarded’ as a Top-10 QB in college. Here comes another big praise. The caption noted, “One anonymous Power-5 coach even believes Lagway is the “best QB to come through Florida” since Tim Tebow (Yes, including Anthony Richardson).” Tim Tebow led the program to two BCS national championships (2006, 2008) and won the Heisman trophy in 2007. On the other hand, Anthony Richardson, in his three-year stint in Florida, racked up 3,105 yards, 215 of 393 passes, and 24 TDs. Amidst all this Lagway hype, Napier is all focused on his ‘Mission: Save My Seat.’ Billy Napier’s transfer portal haul amidst DJ Lagway’s quite comebackWell, the Gators did have some bitter experience when it came to their transfer portal haul. The Colorado Buffaloes transfer Cormani McClain, for instance, failed to leave his mark in Napier’s squad. So much so, that he ended up with the ‘locker room cancer’ tag. However, somehow, the Gators sidestepped the negative attention. Thanks to Lagway’s rage. But right now, the head coach has kept all the bitter past aside. The Gators picked up some steam on the recruiting trail thanks to a key addition on June 3. The Gators are coming off their first top-10 class under Napier in the 2025 cycle after an 8-5 finish last season. This is by far the best output from the head coach as he steps into his fourth season. While they were yet to make a splash on the 2026 recruiting trail, they ticked it off by landing four-star safety Kaiden Hall. The two-way star from Milton (Florida) High School carries a strong resume of 32 tackles (3 for loss) on defense, 161 rushing yards, and two touchdowns with eight receptions for 80 yards. While recruiting news comes up with a shot of motivation, Gators fans still were losing their sleep worrying about Lagway’s health status.The quarterback was recovering from lingering shoulder and lower body injuries. So, during Florida’s scrimmage, DJ Lagway was restricted from throwing. The month of May then ushered in some good news for the Florida fans. During the SEC Spring Meetings, Billy Napier informed that Lagway has been making 210 passes a week (warmups not included). The head coach assured, “We’re doing exactly what we would do this time of year that we’ve done in the past. So he’s on schedule.” Lagway’s mission? Level up his game, not his ego—unless he wants a front-row seat to Shedeur Sanders’ bumpy NFL reality.The post NFL Scout’s Strong DJ Lagway Verdict With $17M Endorsement After Billy Napier’s Massive Move to Secure His Future appeared first on EssentiallySports.