Baylor Turns to Nate Bennett With DJ Lagway Expected to Miss Saturday

Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway is expected to miss this Saturday’s home opener against Prairie View A&M, paving the way for junior Nate Bennett to make his first career start; ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the story.

Lagway suffered an ankle sprain on the first drive against Auburn last Saturday. The Florida transfer gutted it out and threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns, but his limited mobility contributed to two costly turnovers and forced Baylor to condense its playbook.

Lagway isn’t expected to be out long-term, as head coach Dave Aranda said Monday that the star signal-caller was “day-to-day” and that Lagway participated in the team’s walk-through.

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-1, 192-pound Bennett served as Sawyer Robertson’s primary backup over the last two seasons and has completed six passes for 53 yards across five contests. A California native, Bennett was a three-star prospect out of Oaks Christian High School and the No. 101 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class.

Behind Bennett is sophomore Edward Griffin, a three-star prospect out of Coppell High School, who has yet to take a snap at the collegiate level.

“I feel really good about Nate and Ed,” Aranda said during his Monday press conference. “We've got guys who have been here, have been invested and know the offense. Each has particular skill sets. We can tweak things, and the offense can go in a different direction to best utilize their talents. That room is special, so we'll see.”

The Bears (0-1) are set to face off against Prairie View A&M (1-1) at McLane Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m.