IU Pro Day Primer: Quarterback Richard Lagow
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Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle
Written By Evan McShane (@veryreasonable)
Quarterback Richard Lagow is preparing to open the eyes of NFL scouts at Indiana’s Pro Day on April 3 in Bloomington. Lagow took a long and winding road that ultimately led him to IU for the final two seasons of his college career. The young QB is battle-tested and ready to take whatever road it takes to earn a spot on an NFL roster next fall.
Lagow redshirted his freshman season at Oklahoma State before posting prolific numbers over two seasons at Cisco Community College in Texas. At the time, the Hoosiers desperately needed to replace (now Super Bowl champion) Nate Sudfeld at the quarterback position. Lagow’s impressive production at Cisco CC boosted him atop the JUCO quarterback rankings. According to ESPN, he was the #1 rated pocket passer available on the transfer market in 2015. Lagow joined Indiana football as part of the 2016 recruiting class with two years of eligibility remaining.
Lagow’s two seasons at Indiana were memorable and filled with ups and downs. Lagow’s most prized assets coming into IU were his size and arm strength. He proved it on the field by completing a plethora of deep passes. During his junior year, he put up enormous numbers while leading Indiana to a second straight bowl berth. Despite being just his first season in the Big Ten, Lagow finished the year second in passing yards, fourth in completions, and fifth in touchdowns. He racked up 3,362 passing yards with a completion percentage of 58. He threw for 19 touchdowns, ran for two, and caught one more. Lagow also tossed 17 interceptions as a junior. His arm strength was never in question; however, his accuracy will need improvement if he’s going to make it in the NFL. Lagow finished 2016 with an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten Team and was named Indiana’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
Lagow was faced with a leadership task beyond that of a normal college quarterback. Indiana made the sudden decision to promote Tom Allen to head coach in place of Kevin Wilson. Indiana made the change prior to the Foster Farms Bowl, a bold and wholly unexpected move at the time.
Lagow is a natural leader with unquestionably high-character individual. He helped Tom Allen win over the locker room instantly. Among Lagow’s most valuable asset is his leadership ability and reputation for being an impeccable teammate.
Heading into his senior season, expectations for Lagow and Indiana were sky high. Despite the sudden coaching change, IU looked to earn a bowl berth for the third-straight year. Unfortunately, Lagow’s senior season didn’t go quite as planned. He was replaced mid-season in favor of redshirt freshman quarterback Peyton Ramsey. However, Lagow still had memorable moments as a senior and further cemented his reputation as an outstanding teammate. He was commended for the grace with which he handled his benching. That didn’t stop him from starting in eight games and appearing in two more. Lagow finished his final college season compiling 1,936 yards with 15 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. Perhaps his most memorable performance came in the season opener against Ohio State where Lagow completed 40-of-60 passes for 410 yards and three touchdowns.
Lagow cemented his place in the Indiana football record books by the time it was all said and done. Lagow is Indiana’s all-time leader in 400-yard passing games with two. He finished sixth in passing touchdowns with 34 and eighth in passing yards with 5,298. In addition, Lagow placed in the top ten in school history in completions, attempts, completion percentage, and total offense. In hindsight, these are truly remarkable feats given Lagow only started 21 games as the Hoosiers’ quarterback. Lagow’s reputation for leadership surfaced yet again, as he earned Tom Allen’s first inaugural LEO Award for displaying exemplary behavior on and off the field on a daily basis, regardless of circumstance.
The prolific yardage numbers were always a given with Lagow. His combination of arm strength and elite size (6-foot-6, 240lbs) make him an interesting prospect for NFL scouts to evaluate. There are a multitude of quarterbacks available in this draft and several quarterbacks expected to be taken early in the first round. Lagow has very stiff competition up against the likes of Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson, Mason Rudolph, and others.
On the other hand, a top-heavy quarterback class could make Lagow an intriguing option during the later rounds of the draft. Lagow is ranked as the 19th best quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft, per nfldraftgeek.com. Most other mock draft websites project Lagow to be ranked somewhere in the mid-twenties. Over the last decade, roughly 12 quarterbacks get drafted each year. That said, Lagow will need to turn some heads to get himself drafted, but his size and raw ability should provide him with a chance.
Since his college football career came to a close, Lagow graduated from IU in December and participated in an All-Star game. Lagow, along with former IU defensive back Tony Fields, was selected to the third annual Tropical Bowl in Daytona, Florida – a game showcasing the top college football seniors in front of NFL scouts and General Managers. Lagow excelled in the Tropical Bowl. He completed seven of his nine passes, including this beautiful back shoulder throw for an 18-yard touchdown:
If you’re interested in an in-depth breakdown of Richard Lagow’s quarterback play, Mark Schofield from Inside the Pylon made a YouTube video containing some valuable analysis:
Lagow also caught the eye of the well-respected football analytics group, Pro Football Focus. Pro Football Focus sent out this tweet regarding Lagow’s efficiency under duress:
A chance is all Richard Lagow wants. He already seized the moment with some dazzling throws at the Tropical Bowl, and his size and smarts will offer him more opportunity. An impressive performance at IU’s Pro Day could move him up the list of quarterback prospects. Hoosier nation will be rooting for Richard Lagow throughout his pursuit of a professional football career. Richard Lagow will undoubtedly find success in life, whether in the NFL or elsewhere.
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