After transferring from Wisconsin, Gators’ quarterback Graham Mertz came across his most productive season at the collegiate level, tossing for a career high 2,903 yards and 20 touchdowns while throwing a career low three interceptions in 2023.
With five seasons under his belt and one year of eligibility remaining due to the 2020 Covid season, Mertz faced an NFL decision that he did not take lightly.
“I mean obviously you play this game your whole life, your dream is to go to the NFL. For me, when you have that option in front of you, you are really weighing both sides to it,” Mertz told the media.
Mertz announced his decision to return to Florida on November 23rd, 2023, with a Twitter (X) post labeled “one more year.”
“My big thing was I felt like we left a lot out there this year, and I want to finish my career the right way, Mertz said following Florida’s first spring practice of 2024. “It just felt like there was unfinished business that I needed to attend to.”
Mertz’s play in 2023 was admirable. His 72.9% completion percentage led the SEC and signified a new program record for a single season at Florida, surpassing Kyle Trask’s previous mark of 68.9% set in 2020. Mertz’s 157.8 passer rating was the highest by a UF quarterback since Trask’s 180.0 in 2020 and the second highest since Tim Tebow in 2009. His passer rating ranked 10th all time in single season program history.
It would be easy to be satisfied with those individual accomplishments, especially considering the critics voiced a strong opinion on the Kansas native after he committed to Florida on December 20th, 2022. Mertz’s career year didn’t satisfy him, however. Florida won just five games in 2023 and fell way below the program’s expectations.
“I don’t really place my satisfaction on that. Frankly, I was unsatisfied with last year,” Mertz said on his career numbers a season ago. “I base my satisfaction off of did we win every game? And I think that’s the only way to go about playing this game and being at the quarterback position. I think that’s what should drive you. I don’t really ever try to put weight into external thing, good, bad or ugly, because I personally don’t think that has any impact on how I’m doing my job. It’s are you here and are you doing your job to the best of your ability. We won five games. Point blank that’s not it. That’s why I’m back. And that’s why we’re fixing it.”
Mertz understands that he plays a critical role in mentoring five-star QB DJ Lagway, who recently finished his first practice in Orange and Blue.
“I can bring things that I went through, and recently when I was learning the offense here, and how to teach him, how to grow at a faster rate, but I mean he’s doing a great job,” Mertz said on the importance of mentoring Lagway. “You said the no egos thing, I think that’s exactly what I would say. He’s here to learn, he wants to grow, he’s a competitor, I mean I saw him out there today getting into competitor mode and it fired me up a little bit so, it’s been awesome, it’s been what two months of it so far, two and a half months, but we’re rolling.”
Mertz’s return for the 2024 season means the Gators will have one of the most experienced quarterbacks in college football. His 43 career starts places him in the top five among most experienced QBs in the FBS. Mertz returns to Gainesville with 3,829 career snaps and becomes the first Gators starting quarterback to return since 2020.
“It’s a big deal for the Florida Gators that Graham Mertz is back to play quarterback,” Head Coach Billy Napier said on Thursday. “A ton of advantages. A ton of confidence there.”
UF fans should be excited about the QB room. I certainly am.
Very appreciative Mertz decided to return. Expecting big things from him and DJ.
Thanks Nick
Nice write up Nick, agree with head
Also agree with head on positive mojo in the qb room
As an aside, Billy looks healthy, not so worried he can’t eat, which is good
Whoops, old picture, my bad