theathleticuk
The expectations surrounding South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers and former Florida quarterback DJ Lagway (now at Baylor) couldnt have been higher heading into the 2025 season.
A year ago, one Power 4 offensive coordinator said, If Im starting a team right now, Im probably taking DJ Lagway as my quarterback.
An FBS scouting director called Sellers the best quarterback in the country because I love those traits and theyre hard to pass up.
Advertisement Then the 2025 season happened, and neither came close to meeting expectations for myriad reasons.
Both are much lower in The Athletics recently unveiled edition of College QB Tiers.
Sellers, who was No.
3 last year, is No.
18, while Lagway is No.
42 after ranking fifth in 2025.
How do opposing coaches and staffers who we surveyed for this years ranking feel about these two now? They spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer their honest opinions on the players.
Their 2025 performances raised questions Sellers saw dips in completion percentage, passing efficiency, yards per play, off-target percentage and touchdowns and a slight uptick in his interception rate.
That put to bed any talk of Sellers being a high first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which was a conversation going into last season.
I think last year they wanted to make him the first pick in the draft, so they just wanted to throw the ball with him, an SEC assistant coach said.
Hes not accurate enough to just drop back and throw the ball all the time.
| Stat | 2024 | 2025 | |---|---|---| Snaps | 738 | 662 | Comp % | 65.6 | 60.8 | Off-target % | 12.0 | 14.3 | Yards/attempt | 8.5 | 8.3 | Efficiency | 151.9 | 139.8 | Interception % | 2.3 | 2.7 | Yards/play | 6.9 | 6.1 | Yards/rush | 4.1 | 1.8 | Total TDs | 25 | 18 | Turnovers | 14 | 10 | Explosive play % | 4.1 | 4.7 | Pressure % | 42.7 | 42.8 | Source: TruMedia; (off-target percentage and pressure rates from Pro Football Focus) A Power 4 offensive coordinator who was high on Sellers going into 2025 didnt like what he saw on tape last season.
I wanted to like Sellers so bad ..
but you just watch the film, and it was just hard to like him, the coordinator said.
Hes very inconsistent as a passer.
His highs are as high as probably anybody in the draft.
But his lows are bad.
You dont see enough of the highs to overcome some of the bad stuff you see on tape.
Lagway took a similar step back.
His passing efficiency, yards per attempt and yards per play went way down while his off-target percentage went up.
He did improve his completion percentage but turned the ball over 15 times, including five times against LSU.
Advertisement Its hard for me to forget the LSU game.
He looked so bad, man, a Big 12 personnel staffer said.
I dont even want to grade him from last year because I dont think thats who he is, but thats what he showed.
..
Im assuming there are a lot of scars there and its going to be hard to forget some of what he did last year.
The Power 4 OC questioned Lagways decision-making.
If it wasnt a man-to-man (coverage) and he just knew where he needed to go with the football right away like if he had to get through progressions he put the ball in jeopardy a lot, the OC said.
| Stat | 2024 | 2025 | |---|---|---| Snaps | 476 | 689 | Comp % | 59.9 | 63.2 | Off-target % | 15.1 | 17.5 | Yards/attempt | 10.0 | 6.7 | Efficiency | 154.9 | 127.0 | Interception % | 4.7 | 4.2 | Yards/play | 8.3 | 5.8 | Total TDs | 12 | 17 | Turnovers | 9 | 15 | Explosive play % | 1.6 | 0.7 | Pressure % | 33.5 | 30.3 | Source: TruMedia; (off-target percentage and pressure rates from Pro Football Focus) Their talent still breeds optimism Sellers physical traits 6-foot-3, 238 pounds, elite strength and dynamic running ability are still reasons to get excited.
And many we spoke with are forgiving of him for 2025, considering he played behind an offensive line that allowed the third-highest pressure rate in the Power 4 (40.7 percent, according to Pro Football Focus) and other external factors.
He can beat you in a lot of ways, an SEC general manager said.
He has top-half-of-the-league ability.
When hes on, he can take over a game.
The SEC assistant said hed still put Sellers among the top three or four quarterbacks in the SEC.
Lagway who has been lauded for his size (6-3, 239), arm strength and mobility spent a lot of the 2025 offseason recovering from myriad injuries and dealt with them in-season as well.
There was also a coaching change, as Billy Napier was fired midseason and Lagway spent the first two years of his career with the pressure of Napiers job security tied to his performance.
I think hes going to be a lot better than what he was at Florida, for sure, the Power 4 OC said.
I think hes healthy.
He kinda has the pressure off his back of having to be this five-star savior.
Said the SEC GM: The sky is still the limit (for Lagway).
Their new OCs should help them succeed Both Sellers and Lagway will have new OCs this year.
South Carolina hired former TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to pair with Sellers, while Lagway will work with Baylors Jake Spavital.
Opponents see both quarterbacks fitting well with their new schemes and play callers.
Advertisement I think Kendal is a heck of a coach, the SEC assistant said.
I think Kendal will make him run a little more and do what he does well, which I think will help.
The Power 4 OC cited how Briles tailored his offense to KJ Jeffersons skills at Arkansas as why hes potentially a good fit.
Jefferson accounted for 3,276 yards (2,636 passing, 640 rushing), threw 24 touchdowns to just five interceptions and averaged 8.8 yards per pass attempt in 2022, Briles final year with the Razorbacks.
I do think hes in a position to succeed because the system will fit him, the OC said.
A Big 12 head coach called Spavitals offense a lot more QB-friendly than what (Lagway) was doing at Florida, and said he wouldnt be surprised if Lagway had a good year.
Geno Smith, Johnny Manziel, Davis Webb, Will Grier and Sawyer Robertson are all quarterbacks who threw for at least 3,400 yards and 28 touchdowns when starting at least 11 games in a season with Spavital as their QB coach and/or offensive coordinator.
Spavital is a heck of a coach and an incredible offensive coordinator, a Big 12 personnel director said.
If anybody would have said a few years ago that Sawyer Robertson was going to be one of the best in the country, everybody would have been like, What are you talking about? I think Lagway being with Spavital is going to be better than what people expect.
The Power 4 OC said, I think this system will definitely be a little bit simpler, a little easier for him, probably more what hes comfortable with from his high school days.
The 2026 season will be a prove-it year for both Lagway and Sellers, with the lingering questions from opponents remaining existential.
Hes got talent, you cant deny that, a Power 4 personnel staffer said of Lagway.
But is he another Anthony Richardson or can he do more than that? I think people fall in love with the arm and what he can do with the wow throws.
But the full picture of what hes done is that really what you want? Of Sellers, an SEC front office staffer said, I understand why he has that hype, because he makes some wow plays.
But how many years are we going to play the imagine if he puts it all together game?.