Ex-Florida QB DJ Lagway leaves FSU football visit on 'cloud nine'
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Florida State football left a good impression on Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway, who left his visit with the Seminoles program on “cloud nine.”
Lagway, who visited on Monday, Jan. 5, said that he was impressed with what FSU had to offer, and cited the people, including offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and quarterback coach Austin Tucker.
Both Malzahn and Tucker were quick to contact Lagway and set him up with a visit.
“They liked what they saw on film, you know, went to meet me, you know, in person. So it was great to come up here and check everything that Florida State has to offer,” Lagway said after his visit. “I really did love it. It was really nice up here, excited for the relationship to continue to build.”
Lagway said that Malzahn compared him to Cam Newton, whom Malzahn coached to a Heisman and national championship at Auburn. Lagway said his favorite part of the visit was watching the cut-up Malzahn prepared for him of Newton and describing how he would use Lagway in his system.
He said that he feels like he would be a good fit for the offense that Malzahn wants to run, despite some external questions about his fit in the offense. Lagway threw for 4,179 yards and 28 touchdowns, but struggled with not turning the ball over, tossing 23 interceptions, while he rushed for 237 yards and a touchdown.
The former No.1 overall quarterback in the class of 2024 and Gatorade National Player of the Year said he hasn’t reached his full potential yet. He still believes in the player he can be, which is what he described as being a “true dual-threat.”
Lagway said he was limited in what he could do at Florida due to past injuries, but he pointed to the player he was in high school as showing what kind of quarterback he is. Lagway ran for 957 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior at Willis High School.
“I feel like my past history of being dinged up, they didn’t really want to run me and have a chance to get hurt,” Lagway said. “At the end of the season, I started running a little bit. But in the beginning, they just wanted to make sure I was good.
That’s kind of how I’ve always played football, though. I’ve always been a true dual-threat guy. Since I got to Florida, that’s when it kind of changed. But you know, like I said, just cut the tape on, you’ll see it.”
He still plans to visit Virginia, and said he has other schools he’s discussing with. But he was impressed with what the Seminoles had to offer him.
Lagway said he would take his time in making his decision, as he wants to make sure he lands in the right situation. Where that is remains to be seen, but Lagway said he was impressed with FSU.
“The people in the building, and just the facilities, man, just the coaches, everybody. I can see it’s genuine,” Lagway said. “A lot of places, they blow smoke, but I feel like this place is really genuine.”
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DJ Lagway recaps transfer portal visit to Florida State football
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