DJ Lagway has 'eye-opening' conversation with top QB prospect in 2027 class

USA Today

13 hours ago

The top quarterback in the recruiting class of 2027, Elijah Haven, recently capped off his two-week tour of seven schools at the University of Florida and left saying a conversation with sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway was "eye-opening" for him, according to Manny Navarro of The Athletic.
'(Lagway) said the relationships he built in his recruitment process with the coaches is what separated them for him,' Haven said. 'They didn't fake it or anything, and they were always welcoming to him and to his family. That's a big thing for me. It's just about fit for me, whether it's LSU or if it's their rival.'
Navarro also reported that Haven's mother likes Florida and his dad is backing whatever decision Haven makes, despite growing up a Georgia fan. A Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native, Haven grew up rooting for Joe Burrow and the LSU Tigers. As most of the state's top prospects are, Haven is linked to Brian Kelly's squad. Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State are all major players as well.
Lagway is draft-eligible after the 2026 season, so Haven would spend a year behind him at most. Some of the other quarterbacks on the roster may develop into a bridge starter, but Haven would be the natural successor to Lagway as the only current five-star quarterback in his class.
Florida has plenty of work to do before landing a commitment from Haven, though. Miami recently entered the mix, and Cam Ward's record-setting season has Haven interested in the Hurricanes. Playing for a national championship contender and seeing the field early are two items on his wish list, but neither is a deal breaker.
Scouting Report
"I was expecting to see more rawness out of (Haven) from a mechanical perspective walking into this event," wrote On3's Cody Bellaire in a June 28 scouting report, "but he appears to have cleaned up some of those issues during this offseason. During the routes on air portion of the workout in the morning session, Haven threw with good touch and was letting the ball rip over the middle of the field.
"Then we got to the afternoon session and started the 7-on-7 period, it was quite refreshing watching him go through his reads and pick apart the defense. He ended up throwing touchdowns on his first four drives of the afternoon and showed great decision-making. This was easily his best in-person showing for us and showed quality improvement to his game on Saturday."
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