Rivals Rankings Week: Rival Views on CJ Carr vs. DJ Lagway
While it may not be as deep as the 2023 cycle, the quarterback talent in the 2024 class is shaping up to be solid in its own right, with three five-stars already solidified and more on the cusp of earning that coveted status.
Two signal-callers on that brink are Willis (Texas) dual-threat quarterback DJ Lagway and Saline (Mich.) pro-style quarterback CJ Carr. Committed to Florida and Notre Dame, respectively, the two signal-callers enter the spring with similar grades and close evaluations.
National recruiting analysts Clint Cosgrove and Nick Harris take a look at each quarterback and make their arguments as to why one should be ranked higher than the other.
2024 QB RANKINGS: Pro-style QB | Dual-threat QB
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Sunday: Who should be the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 Rivals250?
Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new five-stars
Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Biggest Movers | Latest recruiting news on top 50 players
Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released | Breaking down the QBs | Breaking down the RBs | Breaking down the WRs/TEs | Breaking down the O-linemen
Thursday: Defensive position rankings released | Breaking down the D-linemen | Breaking down the linebackers | Breaking down the athletes
Friday: State rankings released | States with the most R250 players
Saturday: Roundtable
Cosgrove's take: Comparing DJ Lagway and CJ Carr as quarterbacks isn't an easy task due to their varying skill sets. While they are both great players - and I would happily take either as a coach - my choice would be Carr, if forced to choose one. Carr grew up in a football family, has been embedded in the game since a very young age and his grasp of what it takes to win at the major-college level is unmatched for a player at this stage of their career. This is an intangible that cannot be taught, and there are few players in any class capable of matching him in this regard.
As a junior, Carr completed 222 of 326 passes for just under 2,700 yards with 26 touchdown passes and only five interceptions (two of which came in his first game of the season). He also did some work with his feet by rushing for 220 yards and an additional seven touchdowns. While the stats are impressive they only tell one part of the story when evaluating Carr and his potential.
Carr has spent much of his life training to be a quarterback, resulting in elite overall mechanics and footwork at an early stage in his career. He has as much arm talent as any player in the class, aside from maybe Dylan Raiola, and is capable of making every level of throw with strength and precision. Carr is also extremely accurate, and that is a trait that will only improve as the receiving talent around him matches his caliber of play. There are few flaws in Carr's game. He is about as complete of a quarterback as you will find in the class, and the scary part is how good he is now, because his best football is definitely in front of him.
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Harris’ take: Willis (Texas) four-star quarterback DJ Lagway had one of the most efficient junior seasons for a signal-caller in the country last season, despite playing just eight games. Lagway threw for over 2,000 yards at a 67% clip while rushing for more than 500 yards with 31 total touchdowns.
Lagway’s physical stature at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, combined with his physical nature, makes him a unique prospect in the 2024 class with his outside-of-the-pocket ability. Similar to Anthony Richardson, who led Lagway’s future Florida Gators this past season, Lagway’s ceiling is sky high and arguably higher than any prospect in the class.
As time has gone on, Lagway has focused his improvements on becoming versatile with his arm talent and finding perfect touch, and those improvements have shined. Once Lagway can adjust to the speed of SEC defenses, a first-round grade is simply the floor for what he might be able to accomplish.
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