Florida QB DJ Lagway's NIL Deal Draws Scrutiny

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 6:30 PM ET

Florida’s in-state rivalry week arrives with a headline most Gators fans probably didn’t expect: quarterback DJ Lagway, who has amassed a lucrative string of NIL partnerships, is under scrutiny after a three-game stretch that features more turnovers than wins.

Through Week 3, the 6-foot-3 sophomore has completed 71-of-100 attempts (71%) for 629 passing yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions while adding just 31 rushing yards on 18 attempts.

Those numbers (and a 53.2 QBR that ranks 78th nationally) come into sharp relief after a five-pick game at LSU that helped turn a competitive tilt into a 20-10 loss.

Lagway arrived last season as a five-star recruit and the No. 1-ranked QB in the 2024 class, according to 247 Sports, drawing comparisons to a former Gator, the Indianapolis Colts' Anthony Richardson, as a "dual-threat quarterback with enormous potential given rare athletic frame and natural arm talent."

Florida’s No. 15 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25 and an aggressive NIL build-out only amplified those expectations.

Instead, through three games, the Gators’ offense has struggled to sustain drives, and Lagway’s turnover issues have turned what looked like a bounce-back season into questions about decision-making and mechanics under pressure.

As a freshman in 2024, Lagway completed 115-of-192 of his passes (59.9%) for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 games.

A Breakdown of Lagway's NIL Earnings

On3's Pete Nakos' NIL tracking piece on college QBs helped draw attention to Lagway's standing as one of the country's highest-paid signal-callers.

On3 currently shows Lagway’s NIL valuation at $2.2 million thanks to major deals with Jordan Brand, Beats, Chipotle, T-Mobile, Beats by Dre, Nintendo, Gatorade and more.

This figure is striking, placing him 17th among all college football players, ahead of many college quarterbacks whose on-field production has been vastly stronger through three weeks.

For reference, USC's Jayden Maiava ($1.9 million), Baylor's Sawyer Robertson ($1.7 million), Indiana's Fernando Mendoza ($1.6 million) and Auburn's Jackson Arnold ($1.6 million) all have lower valuations, yet carry better odds to win the Heisman Trophy.

To give you an idea, the NFL rookie minimum base salary for 2025 is around $865,000, according to Spotrac, which is less than half of Lagway’s NIL valuation.

In fact, Lagway will likely make more via NIL this year than every NFL rookie drafted outside of the first round.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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