Transfer quarterback Graham Mertz was named the Gators’ starting QB on Friday, August 11th, a day after Florida’s first scrimmage of fall camp.
“The first thing I told him [Napier] is that it’s an honor and a blessing and I’m going to treat it as such,” Mertz said on his reaction to being named starter. “Like I said earlier about the history, you know what this program has been, who has come through here. It’s my duty to respect that and honor that every day. The first thing I thought of was that it’s an honor and a blessing and you’ve gotta treat it as such. You’ve got to walk with that every single day. It was exciting but you get right back into the heat of fall camp. We’ve got work we need to do.”
The Overland Park, Kansas native has been praised for his work ethic by players and staff since arriving in Gainesville before spring camp.
“I’d say the biggest thing is consistency, just kind of been my theme since I’ve gotten here – just falling in love with the process every single day,” Mertz said on what the process has been like. “If you just take that and take your purpose in everything you do every day, it makes it easy, it makes it fun. For me, I’ve been working, but I’ve had a blast doing every second of it. I knew the purpose of everything I was doing. So yeah, a lot of work when in it. It was fun. It was great work.”
“It really comes down to just stacking days. No matter what I had to do during that day, it all came down to what I have to do for this team to get us where we want to go,” Mertz added.
Florida’s offense is looking to a build on their 2022 season where they ranked 38th in yards per game and 58th in points per game. However, that task won’t be easy after losing QB Anthony Richardson to the NFL. It’s no secret that Mertz doesn’t have the athleticism or arm strength that Richardson possesses, but there are areas that Florida and Mertz can improve on in 2023.
“I’m excited. I’m very psyched about what this offense can be,” Mertz said. “I think just from the start of camp until now, we’ve made strides in taking care of the ball, being aggressive, taking “what the defense is giving us and when we have the opportunity to strike, we will. I think just from – I think big picture. So I think OK, we’ll come out and do as far as my job to help this offense just move the ball. I think that comes down to decision making. That comes down to taking care of the ball, like I said, and being aggressive. I love the spot our offense is at, but we have a set amount of practices left before that first game. We can take strides, and we will take strides in all those areas.”
Mertz is not seen as a dual threat quarterback, but the 6-3, 218 pounder has taken strides as a runner this offseason.
“I think just in my time here with the strength staff, I feel, as far as physical health, I feel faster than I’ve ever been,” Mertz said. “I’m comfortable in that pocket where if something collapses or if they match everyone I can take off and go run. I think that’s my appreciation to the strength staff here. It’s really freed me up to be a complete player.”
Mertz transferred from Wisconsin, who has leaned heavily on running the football over the past few years. The redshirt junior believes he has more control under Billy Napier’s offense.
“I think at Wisconsin, it was more of a game management, trying to get us a lot of run-kill, run checks,” Mertz said. “And here it’s so much fun. And it’s fun to make those checks. We spend so much time harping on it, taking walkthrough reps. It’s really fun when you can you when you know how to attack defense.”
The veteran quarterback praised Billy Napier’s attention to detail as a quarterback coach during Tuesday’s press conference.
“He understands. Like I wish you guys could sit into a quarterback meeting and just hear how he installs. It’s so detailed,” Mertz said on Napier. “He knows the pitfalls of every play. He’s seen it. He can recall a play from five years ago and just pop it up on the board. ‘This is what I saw. This is why it works.’ As a quarterback, that’s why it’s really helpful in your learning process because we keep he’s seen it all and he understands it, he’s played the position. He knows what throws are a little bit hard, what throws are a little bit easier and he designs the offense in that way to kind of free you up and go play.”
Mertz is surrounded by a wide receiver group that consists of young talent and speed, which could ease Mertz’ transition into the SEC.
“It’s a special group here. They want to get open. They want to work. They want to understand what I’m seeing, how leverage works on a certain coverage. How to get that one percent better. it’s been a blast,” Mertz said on his receiving core.
One receiver Mertz has established a great relationship with is senior Ricky Pearsall, the Gators’ top returning pass catcher, according to PFF.
“He’s savvy man. You think about a guy who understands his body enough, he knows how he gets open,” Mertz said on Pearsall. “He’s so twitchy in his movements. it’s refreshing to see a guy that just understands it. He’s like a quarterback playing receiver. Going back to the first week here we were sitting down, going through coverages and understanding what that guy is seeing, what he’s reading in coverages and how you can mess with him and get open. I’d say a savvy guy that’s played a lot of ball and one of my best friends.”
Graham Mertz takes the field for the first time as a Gator in Florida’s opener against Utah on August 31st.