‘He wanted to be at Florida’ — National insider details DJ Lagway’s surprising split with Florida Gators

DJ Lagway wanted to stay with the Florida Gators, but early meeting with Jon Sumrall and the coaching staff didn’t go as planned.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
Nov 29, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) gestures before the snap against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The transfer portal makes the college football world more exciting off the field than it has been in years. It ended up making major waves on Monday morning, as Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal.

It was a big shock and a major negative for new head coach Jon Sumrall as he takes over the program. It’s not a surprise that players are looking to transfer out when a new coaching staff takes over. Even so, it’s a tough one for the program to swallow, especially when you consider a player with Lagway’s talent and pedigree.

National insider details DJ Lagway’s split from Florida Gators

How did the split happen? Did things just not go well with the new coaching staff? CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer spoke to sources about the split, and one main detail was the focus of the story.

“He wanted to be (at Florida),” the source told Hummer.

This is a really interesting element. If Lagway wanted to stay at Florida, why is he now entering the portal? A consensus five-star quarterback with all the talent in the world is leaving? According to Hummer, things didn’t go well with the new staff.

“Lagway’s initial meeting with the new Florida staff did not go well, per multiple sources. New Florida head coach Jon Sumrall questioned who Lagway is as a football player. The new staff opted to challenge the high-priced QB wanting more.

“He didn’t care about the money,” a second source said. “He didn’t care about them bringing someone else in. He just wanted to hear you have the ability, and we want to coach it out of you.”

Lagway being pressed by Sumrall shouldn’t be a surprise. That’s who he is. He is a hard-nosed head coach who challenges his players to be better. Was this the right approach in their first meetings? Was this their way to get Lagway to enter the transfer portal? Whatever the strategy was, Lagway is on his way out the door.

What’s important with this conversation is the sources Hummer has, which are likely from Lagway’s camp. That doesn’t mean they are wrong, but there are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth. It’s not to say that Hummer’s sources are wrong, but there are likely some elements left out.

With a healthy offseason, Lagway could finally reach the potential that we all believed he had when the five-star product got to Gainesville. As things stand right now, it will look like a much different Gators team in the Sumrall era.

Related Articles