Our countdown is down to No. 1, and that spot belongs to quarterback DJ Lagway, the most important Baylor player for the 2026 season.
Lagway’s path to Waco has already been a winding one. He was a chance to land at Baylor from the start, but the five-star recruit in the 2024 class chose Florida instead.
There, he flashed the kind of ability that made him such a coveted prospect in the first place. Even with nine interceptions, Lagway showed big-play juice and arm talent, and it felt like the ceiling was still sky-high.
That picture changed in 2025. His first full season as a starter never really got off the ground, and the numbers told the story: 14 interceptions against 16 touchdown passes, the most picks in the SEC. Health was an issue during his two years at Florida, and once Billy Napier was let go, Lagway decided to enter the transfer portal.
After the uncertainty, he landed at Baylor, his father’s alma mater.
That move puts a ton on Lagway’s shoulders, because Baylor’s offense is built around the quarterback. Jake Spavital will run the ball, but this is still a system that asks the signal-caller to spread defenses out and make reads. A year ago, Sawyer Robertson was as dynamic as anyone at the position, throwing for more than 3,600 yards and 31 touchdowns.
Lagway is walking into a new supporting cast, so matching that production right away won’t be easy. Still, if the offense comes together quickly and he settles in, Baylor has enough firepower for him to put up real numbers.
The expectation is that he should clear 3,000 passing yards in 2026, and with more freedom in this offense, the turnover count should drop too. After 14 interceptions last season, the projection is for Lagway to finish with fewer than 10.
The pressure around him goes beyond the stat sheet. Dave Aranda is firmly on the hot seat, and Baylor’s recent shift toward spending money on the inside out hasn’t changed the fact that a lot of the burden now lands on Lagway.
If the Bears win, Aranda’s job security improves. If they don’t, another losing season could send Baylor back to square one.
For Lagway, though, the chance is obvious: revive his career, tap back into that five-star promise, and give Baylor a reason to believe again.
In Other News...
Dave Aranda Faces A Defining Baylor Test In 2026
Baylors outlook for 2026 is starting to draw some real optimism, and a lot of it traces back to the blend of returning talent and a program that believes it has a better handle on what it wants to be. Travion Barnes and Hosea Wheeler are among the names generating buzz, while Dave Aranda remains the steady presence at the center of it all, with players pointing to a stronger culture and a cleaner preparation process as reasons to expect more from this group.
The bigger question, of course, is whether those encouraging signs hold up once the season actually starts. Baylor has talked plenty about the importance of health, development and coaching, and those are the factors that will ultimately decide whether the Bears turn promise into something more meaningful. For Aranda, 2026 looks like the kind of year that can say a lot about where the program is headed. [Read more 🡒]