D.J. Lagway

#2 · QB · Baylor6′3″ · 237 lb · Willis, TX

ZPR4283rd of 119 QBsLast gameW 41–9at UCF · Oct 30
Nextvs Iowa StateSat Nov 7 · 12 pm ET
via baylorbears.com ↗

Graded Solid or better in each of the last two games.

Last game: W 41-9 at UCF, Oct 30 · 16 of 25 for 319 yards, 4 touchdowns · 11 carries for 23 yards

Baylor’s next game: vs Iowa State, Sat Nov 7, 12:00 p.m. ET

Baylor is 3-3 in the six games played. A gunslinger.

Weakest: completes 53% of throws, 8th lowest of 158 starters.

Passing yards

1,671

129 of 242, 53%

TD–INT

13–4

6.9 per throw

NCAA rating

125.7

92nd of 119

ZPR

42

83rd of 119

How ZPR works

Getting better, from shaky early to solid lately.

Best by our grade: at UCF. Lowest: TCU, with 1 interception and sacked 4 times.

Tap a game for its plays

Q1Q2Q3Q4

Prairie View A&M

W 44–3·FCS

Did not play

Louisiana Tech

W 36–19·Unranked

Did not play

Season

Gets better after halftime

How to read this

Each column is a quarter. Blue and up is a good stretch for the quarterback, red and down a bad one, hatched means the game was already decided. A red cross is a turnover and a black dot a touchdown. The word on the right grades the whole game; on games with a lot of running it grades the passing only. A gold line means the r/CFB game thread kept naming the quarterback. Dashed outlines on the Season row are last season’s average. Tap a game to open its plays: each bar is one of the quarterback’s plays, up helped the team’s chance of winning and down hurt it, and the grey line is that chance.

The word grades the game against every FBS quarterback start, from Rough to Great, using the same throws as the season Zeitgeist Passer Rating and adjusting for the defense faced. Bars are points added per throw in that quarter. The Season row leaves out quarters after a game was decided.

Style of play

Gunslinger

Why this word
Runs3.3 a gameRarelyA lot
Throws10.7 yards past the lineShortDeep
Completes53%FewerMore
Takes sacks5% of dropbacksRarelyOften

The dot is this quarterback, among this season’s starters; the tick is the middle.

Throws deeper than most and runs some. 3.3 carries a game. Closest matches: Finley ’25, Becht, Hollins, Roberson ’25.

Where the throws go

Behind the line12%typical 17%
Short42%typical 47%
Middle29%typical 22%
Deep18%typical 14%

Runs 3.3 times a game; 64% of starters run more.

Closest in style

Finley ’25BechtHollinsRoberson ’25This QB

Nearer the middle means more alike.

  • Finley ’25 Akron 2025 · Gunslinger
    2,475 yards, 19 TD, 9 INT. Both rarely run and miss more.
  • Becht Penn State · Gunslinger
    1,839 yards, 13 TD, 5 INT so far. Both rarely throw behind the line and throw deep.
  • Hollins South Alabama · Gunslinger
    1,195 yards, 9 TD, 4 INT so far. Both miss more and throw deep.
  • Roberson ’25 Buffalo 2025 · Vertical passer
    2,520 yards, 17 TD, 12 INT. Both throw deep and rarely throw behind the line.

Compared with the 158 FBS starters this season for throws and running, and with 219 quarterbacks across 2 seasons for the matches, on how they play and how they have done.

This week

  • RecordBaylor is 5-3.

What’s being said

11 stories this week, from 8 outlets.

Oct 30: 1Oct 31: 4Nov 2: 3Nov 3: 3W 41-9 at UCFWOct 29Nov 4Most in a day: 4
Oct 30: 1Oct 31: 4Nov 2: 3Nov 3: 3W 41-9 at UCFWOct 29Nov 4Most in a day: 4
Stories per day. W and L: the team’s results.

Monday Truth Session: Joe Klanderman's Debut, DJ Lagway's Monster Performance, More

SicEm365 Nov 2

All 141 stories this season

Worth knowing

  • D.J. Lagway was the No. 7 recruit in the country in the 2024 class.

His most important play this season

  1. Q1, 3:01 · Baylor up 4D.J. Lagway finds Tony Livingston for a 3-yard touchdownBaylor at Arizona State, week 5Q1, 3:01 · Baylor 14, Arizona State 3▲20%Baylor’s chance to win, 57% to 77%▲20%Baylor’s chance to win, 57% to 77%D.Lagway pass complete short right to T.Livingston caught at ASU00, for 3 yards to the ASU00 touchdown, kick goodWatch from this play Big 12 Conference

All 14 of his plays on video

The story

As of

He arrived at Florida as a Five-Star Plus+, the No. 3 overall recruit in the 2024 class, and the arm was every bit as advertised. The results weren't: in 2025 he threw for 2,264 yards but 14 interceptions against 16 touchdowns — at one point leading the nation in picks, including a five-interception night against LSU — while fighting through shoulder and calf injuries on a team that went 4-8 and fired Billy Napier. So the five-star did what five-stars now do when it breaks: he reset. Lagway transferred to Baylor, where Dave Aranda called him a defining portal win and needs him to convert pedigree into production after a 5-7 season. The forward stakes are the oldest question in the sport, just in a new city: can a quarterback with this much arm talent finally play efficient, ball-secure football? In Waco, 2026 is the leap — or the latest reminder that recruiting stars don't throw the passes.

Read the rest of the story

Update (Oct. 28, 2026): Baylor lost 17-6 to TCU on Oct. 17 as a 3.5-point favorite, then lost 25-24 at Kansas on Oct. 24, and is 4-3. Lagway was Baylor's top passer in both losses, with 256 passing yards against TCU and 236 passing yards plus 47 rushing yards at Kansas.

Update (Nov. 3, 2026): Baylor fired head coach Dave Aranda on Oct. 25. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman is the interim head coach for the rest of the season.

Sources