As the cycle draws closer to its February finale, 247Sports released their final class of 2024 player rankings, known as the Top247, on Monday. Among the nation’s top high school talents are eight Florida signees. DJ Lagway, the quarterback, and LJ McCray, the defensive lineman, are regarded as the greatest players in their positions and are ranked third and fourth overall, respectively, in the top five prospects nationwide.
Both are consensus five-star prospects. According to 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins, Lagway — who rose from No. 17 to No. 4 in the outlet’s rankings in December before his top-three finalization — notably challenged Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith for the No. 1 spot in the class.
Lagway snatched the site’s QB1 honor from Nebraska signee Dylan Raiola, who had held the post since April 2022. “To be clear, we are still big fans of Raiola and his NFL-caliber arm,” Ivins wrote. “But Lagway represents a captivating dual-threat option with ready-to-play size that seems to just be scratching the surface of his potential.” Lagway received numerous honors for his historical senior campaign at Willis (Texas) High School, namely the Gatorade and MaxPreps National Player of the Year awards, after accounting for 5,561 total yards and 74 total touchdowns in 2023.
Like Lagway, McCray’s two-spot promotion in 247’s final rankings wasn’t a largely significant upward move, at least compared to his Oct. 2023 leap from No. 37 to No. 6 overall. It still proves monumental, officially solidifying Florida’s first haul of prospects with multiple top-five talents since the class of 2010, when the Gators signed the late Ronald Powell (defensive end, No. 1 overall), and defensive tackles Sharrif Floyd (No. 3) and Dominique Easley (No. 4). A versatile defensive lineman likely to align at strong-side end, McCray tallied 80 tackles with a whopping 37 for loss, 13 sacks, three forced fumbles, two pass breakups and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown, in his senior season at Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland in 2023.
Lagway and McCray were joined by Aaron Chiles (No. 6 linebacker, No. 83 overall), Myles Graham (No. 9 linebacker, No. 114 overall), Fletcher Westphal (No. 12 offensive tackle, No. 128 overall), Amir Jackson (No. 8 tight end, No. 152 overall) Kahnen Daniels (No. 14, 175 overall) and wide receiver Jerrae Hawkins Jr. (No. 37 wide receiver, No. 240 overall) in the completed class of 2024 Top247.
