Ranking the Contenders: Four-star 2024 QB DJ Lagway
Willis (Texas) four-star 2024 quarterback DJ Lagway released his top ten on Sunday afternoon, as the Houston-area standout signal-caller took the next step in his recruitment.
A multi-year starter already for Willis, Lagway has already hauled in over 30 offers from programs across the country, including a select few from within state borders.
As some of the dominoes have already begun to fall in the 2024 quarterback class, let's take a look at which programs have the best chance at landing Lagway in this edition of Ranking the Contenders.
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
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1. Texas A&M
Texas A&M was early in offering Lagway ahead of his sophomore season and has since made him the top priority at the quarterback position in the 2024 class. Unless the Aggies can flip Malachi Nelson from USC in the 2023 cycle, the 2024 cycle will be incredibly important for Jimbo Fisher to find a top quarterback talent that can be a multi-year starter in College Station. That pitch alone has helped the Aggies move to the top of the leaderboard for Lagway who has already taken two game visits this season to College Station.
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2. Florida
It's been tough to find a fanbase and coaching staff combo that have done as good of a job recruiting Lagway as Florida, as Billy Napier's squad welcomed the four-star to Gainesville earlier this month amid a ton of fanfare around his arrival. Napier has Lagway bought in to the program early on and has made him the Gators' top quarterback target in the class. The hurdle for the Gators will be convincing Lagway to move across the country with multiple solid options in his region, but Florida is positioned well early on to at least have a shot.
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3. Oklahoma
After Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby saw Lagway throw on his first day of spring practice at Willis earlier this year, the Sooners' offensive mind immediately extended an offer and has since been active in his recruitment. While there are some other offers at the position that maybe make more sense for the Sooners (Michael Hawkins), that hasn't stopped them from recruiting Lagway hard and remaining in the thick of the race. It will be interesting to see when Oklahoma can get Lagway on campus this season and how they juggle multiple options in the 2024 class as time goes on.
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4. Clemson
Clemson has a reputation for taking its time during the evaluation process and extending offers after doing a complete research, but that process wrapped up quickly when it came to offering Lagway. Dabo Swinney and his staff have offered just two quarterbacks in 2024 with Lagway joining Jadyn Davis, so the attention around Lagway is increased given his high prowess from the staff early on. Lagway took two visits over the offseason and received ample communication from the staff on Sept. 1, but a return trip to Clemson will help determine if the Tigers could move higher on this list.
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5. LSU
LSU offered Lagway after a game visit to Baton Rouge last fall, and the four-star has since returned to Death Valley twice during the offseason. Quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan has fielded a lot of talent in the 2024 class at the position group and has done a solid job juggling multiple targets, including Lagway. As the dominoes in the class begin to fall and the picture becomes clearer on more targets, I could see the Tigers turning up the heat on Lagway and pushing for an official visit in the spring.
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6. Alabama
After a trip to Tuscaloosa for Alabama's Junior Day back in January, the Tide offered Lagway and have since been in routine communication. However, if I had to pin down who I think ends up in the class at quarterback, I would say Michael Van Buren. That being said, Alabama will continue to recruit multiple top targets in the class. It will be telling towards Alabama's chances if Lagway makes his way to Tuscaloosa this season.
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7. Baylor
Despite being the son of a four-year Baylor great, Lagway has always maintained that his recruitment wouldn't be impacted by his family's past but that he would do his due diligence in exploring his options both in Waco and elsewhere. That hasn't stopped the Bears from heavily pursuing Lagway though, as quarterbacks coach Shawn Bell has been able to welcome Lagway on campus multiple times since being the first coach to offer. I don't see Baylor landing an official visit at this point, but if the Bears can sneak one in, there might be an open door towards keeping the Lagway family football lineage going in Waco.
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8. Arkansas
Lagway does a lot on the field that mirrors current Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson, and it's part of the reason why the Razorbacks are still in this race. The blueprint is pretty clear in Fayetteville, but there are some hurdles for Sam Pittman and his staff to clear before becoming a major contender in this race. Fortunately for them, there are multiple solid options that they have offered including in-state four-star Walker White. However, Lagway has taken multiple visits to Arkansas and continues to stay in constant communication.
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9. USC
Lagway took a visit to USC over the offseason and has remained in communication with Lincoln Riley and his staff. Of Lagway's remaining options, the Trojans don't make a ton of sense given the future of the position being largely secured with Malachi Nelson and the emergence of in-state target Elijah Brown in 2024, but if USC were to lose Nelson, that could make things interesting in this recruitment. However, for the time being I see USC as an outside contender.
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10. Georgia
Following Arch Manning's commitment to Texas, a lot of buzz started to generate for five-star 2024 quarterback Julian Sayin to commit to Georgia, giving the Bulldogs a path to their quarterback take in 2024. That being said, Lagway has taken multiple visits to Georgia and is close friends with four-star wide receiver Drelon Miller who has the Bulldogs at the top of his list early in his recruitment. It will be interesting to see how Georgia approaches his recruitment and if they explore the possibility of taking two quarterbacks in the class.