Baylor is set to get a major boost on offense this week, with head coach Dave Aranda saying Monday that DJ Lagway is expected back for Saturday’s matchup with Colorado.
Aranda said the quarterback has been cleared for this week and listed several other players who should return as well.
"[Lagway's] got the green light for this week," Aranda said during a press conference. "So, I'm excited for him.
I think we got [Jadon Porter] coming back. Devin Turner's coming back.
DJ's back. Logan Moore's back.
So, we got a fair amount of guys that are back."
That update lines up with what Lagway said last Thursday, when he told Baylor Bears On SI that he expected to be ready once conference play began.
"By conference play, I should definitely be out there, feeling good, and playing my brand of football," Lagway said.
That timeline puts him in position to play this weekend, when Baylor opens conference action against Colorado. The Buffaloes are coming off a rough loss to Northwestern, a game that some players described as taking place in "a f-ing library" before kickoff.
Lagway’s health remains a key piece of the picture, especially because of how much his mobility matters to Baylor’s offense. He was originally believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain, the kind of injury that can affect both cutting ability and top-end speed. After he sprained his ankle on the opening drive of Week 1, he did not run again for the rest of that game.
Aranda said last week that Lagway’s ankle was at "60%-70%" heading into Baylor’s game against Louisiana Tech. Since then, though, the situation has improved, and the staff believes the quarterback should be able to operate without major restrictions.
When asked whether offensive coordinator Jake Spavital would have the full playbook available, Aranda sounded optimistic.
"I think so," Aranda said. "We have not practiced yet, and we're going to do that later today.
But all indications are yes. He was able to work out, actually, Saturday prior to the game on the field and felt really good and feels really good walking around and all of it now.
So, he's excited. He's ready."
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Brown, meanwhile, used the opportunity to highlight the progress of Jayden McGowan and the kind of presence he has become in the offense. For Baylor, those kinds of comments matter because they speak to something beyond one good afternoon: a locker room still settling into roles, but one that seems to understand how chemistry can raise the floor when the season starts asking tougher questions. [Read more 🡒]