Change begets more change. The rival Florida Gators fired their head coach during the season and will have a new quarterback for the 2026 season. Former five-star quarterback, DJ Lagway, announced plans to enter the transfer portal on Monday morning:
Sources: Florida quarterback DJ Lagway intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal. He’s a former Top 10 recruit who was ESPN’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2024. pic.twitter.com/IjpQjUovbj
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 15, 2025
What does this have to do with FSU? Florida State plans to move forward with or without Thomas Castellanos, regardless of whether his appeal is approved or not. The options would be redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry or trying their luck in the transfer portal for the third consecutive season.
I have major concerns about starting the season with a guy who has hardly any experience or depth at the most important position on the team. Does Mike Norvell have to win in 2026 to keep his job? If so, FSU undoubtedly needs to get a transfer quarterback.
Some FSU fans will say develop what you have, but what receivers and offensive linemen want to take a chance on playing with a guy that doesn’t have experience? The best bet is to bring in a transfer and put Sperry in at opportune times to gain experience, so players have enough evidence that he can be successful in 2027.
If FSU goes the transfer portal route, they’ll have to compete with Florida and likely Miami (since they rely on a portal quarterback every year under Mario Cristobal) for the best options at the quarterback position. It wouldn't surprise me to see Miami pursue Lagway.
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FSU must get a quality quarterback in this transfer portal window when it opens on January 2nd. The offense improved greatly over 2024 last season, but the quarterback play in the red zone was probably one of the biggest factors that hampered why they didn't score more points against the better defenses.