Florida football quarterback DJ Lagway earned the No. 1 spot in 247Sports’ and Pro Football Focus‘ ranking of the top deep ball passers returning for the 2025 college football season.
According to 247Sports’ Grant Hughes, Lagway’s blend of arm strength, accuracy and efficiency on throws of 20+ yards puts him ahead of every other returning quarterback in the Power Four.
Advertisement
Despite a relatively limited sample size compared to his peers, the Florida signal-caller outperformed veterans across the country in both volume-adjusted production and precision.
Lagway completed 19 of his 36 deep pass attempts in 2024 for 733 yards, five touchdowns and only two interceptions. His 52.8 percent adjusted completion percentage and 31.2-yard average depth of target (ADOT) not only led all SEC returners but also topped every quarterback included in the national ranking.
Most impressive: Lagway did this while logging just 225 total dropbacks, the fewest among any of the top deep-ball passers in the SEC.
Lagway enters 2025 as one of the most exciting players in college football and a potential breakout star on the national stage. He was the face of Florida’s resurgent offense in 2024 and will play a key role in the Gators’ push for an SEC title.
Advertisement
With a strong arm and proven deep accuracy, Lagway is not just a top quarterback in the conference–he may be the most dangerous vertical passer in the sport.
What 247Sports said about Lagway’s deep ball
“A healthy Lagway is a threat to lead the SEC in every deep passing category next fall. He ranked No. 16 in the SEC in total dropbacks (225) in 2024 but ranked No. 7 in deep passing yardage (733). His 225 dropbacks were 146 fewer than the next-fewest among the six names ahead of him (Jalen Milroe, 371). He was at his best throwing to deep center, completing 10-of-16 passes (62.5%) for 380 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.”
247Sports’ top 10 deep ball passers returning in 2025
-
Drew Allar (Penn State Nittany Lions)
-
Gio Lopez (North Carolina Tar Heels)
-
Haynes King (Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets)
-
Taylen Green (Arkansas Razorbacks)
-
Cade Klubnik (Clemson Tigers)
-
Josh Hoover (TCU Horned Frogs)
-
Deshawn Purdie (Wake Forest Demon Deacons)
-
Carson Beck (Miami Hurricanes)
-
LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina Gamecocks)
Advertisement
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: DJ Lagway ranked No. 1 deep ball QB for 2025 by 247Sports, PFF
