Head coach Billy Napier kept quiet last week when asked how they plan on using Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway at quarterback against Texas A&M. It didn’t take long to realize that Florida was alternating drives with both quarterbacks, regardless of outcome. Napier confirmed this after the game.
“We ultimately made a commitment to rotate the players a certain progression, a certain way, regardless of the outcome, basically just to keep those guys in a good frame of mind relative to not looking over their shoulder.”
“I think we felt like it was in the best interest of the team to do it that way, and we did it. “That wasn’t the reason that we got beat today,” Napier added. “I think there were a lot of other things that contributed to that.”
While I agree the QB rotation was not the reason Florida lost by two touchdowns, the philosophy of alternating Mertz and Lagway ‘regardless of outcome’ doesn’t indicate that the Gators staff was doing the most to win the football game, but instead worried about how one of their QB’s may react to being benched.
Graham Mertz earned another drive after he led Florida to their first touchdown on the first drive of the second half, but was replaced for DJ Lagway, who went three and out behind an overthrow to Chimere Dike, a 2nd and 10 run, and a sack.
It likely wouldn’t have mattered if Mertz or Lagway played quarterback for the entire game, because neither call plays, pass block, or play on defense, but you simply can’t operate under a ‘regardless of outcome’ philosophy in the SEC. That goes for any position on the football field, and certainly for the most important position in all of sports.
Just two days after the game, Billy Napier’s plan has changed, slightly. Florida will still utilize DJ Lagway early in the game (one can assume the second drive of the game), but they will now leave the plan ‘open-ended’, seemingly giving more snaps to the hot hand.
“I think the approach we’ve taken kind of gets DJ involved early and then we kind of leave it open-ended after that. That’s the commitment there,” Napier said on Monday. “So both halves are that way. That’s ultimately what we decided to do.”
“If they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do, they can stand beside me,” Napier added. “But for the most part, I don’t necessarily think we have that problem.”
Florida will still use both quarterbacks in their first road game of the 2024 season against Mississippi State, but it appears Mertz and Lagway will be evaluated on their in-game performance, instead of alternating drives ‘regardless of outcome.’