What to make of Florida’s QB situation

It only took two games for a QB controversy to break out amongst Gator Nation. Redshirt senior Graham Mertz performed poorly in Florida’s season opener against Miami, completing 11 of 20 passes for 91 yards and an interception. He looked uncomfortable all game, tight in the pocket, and inaccurate on several deep passes.

Fast forward to next week, freshman quarterback DJ Lagway receives his first collegiate start vs Samford while Mertz is out with a concussion and performs admirably. The rookie set UF’s freshman single game passing record with 456 yards while tossing three touchdowns and no interceptions. He was simply lights out. The touch and accuracy on Lagway’s deep passes stood out to me as a difference maker.

So who does UF turn to? It’s safe to assume that Mertz will retain his starting quarterback role after Billy Napier’s postgame press conference on Saturday night.

“I think that our intentions are the same,” Napier said when asked if Lagway earned more playing time moving forward. “We intend to play him every week. I think we intended to do that last week as well. I think we had two plays or something at halftime last weel. So we struggled to get any rhythm going.”

I’m not sold that Florida’s staff was planning on playing Lagway in week one, and if they were, I question the way they were going about. Napier says the reason Lagway never got in the game pre-Mertz’s injury was that they ‘struggled to get any rhythm going.”

Wouldn’t that be the perfect time to let your five-star quarterback get a shot at switching up the rhythm of the offense? Lagway is a play maker. It takes one big-time play and the defense could be on their heels for the rest of the drive. Why would you remove Mertz from the game if he was in rhythm and Florida’s offense was rolling in a rivalry game?

Regardless, Napier claims Lagway will be part of Florida’s offense moving forward.

“We’re going to do what’s in the best interest of the team,” Napier said on Monday. “I think both these players can make our team better. I think that’s what we intended to do.”

The only thing that matters surrounding this QB controversy is winning football games in 2024. I’ve seen people say, ‘the season is already over, let Lagway take his freshman lumps and prepare for next season’, a take I whole heartedly disagree with.

Florida’s 2024 season is not over. The Gators are through two games and hold a 1-1 record. With 10 games left and so much to be determined, you simply can’t bail on your preseason plans.

That begs the question; who gives Florida the best chance to win football games in 2024, Graham Mertz, DJ Lagway, or both? I’m not going to try and persuade you on either these three options, because I think the deciding factor in all of this is Lagway’s decision making and ability to process through reads, something I haven’t seen enough film on to confidently give an opinion.

Lagway was terrific in his first start. It looked as if he had command of the offense and was comfortable making checks and audibles at the line of scrimmage. The one thing we didn’t see much of was his ability to process through reads as most of Lagway’s completions were on his first read, which should be the case when you are playing against Samford. Lagway’s decision making wasn’t really tested as he didn’t have to work under too much pressure.

What I loved most about Lagway’s first start was his WANT to push the ball down the field. There was little to no hesitation on his deep passes, and as a result he was able to throw them with poise, touch, and accuracy. There were almost identical coverages that Lagway took advantage of in week two that Mertz didn’t in week one. Lagway has the ‘it’ factor.

Let me put this bluntly. Lagway is a more skilled quarterback than Mertz, he was the moment he arrived on campus in spring. Lagway can simply make plays that Mertz, and a majority of college football quarterbacks can’t make. There’s only one reason why Lagway shouldn’t be starting for Florida in week three, and that’s if he doesn’t have nearly the decision making or ability to process through reads quickly that Mertz does. If the drop-off is even remotely close, Lagway should be the starter, because in exchange you are getting more explosive play potential. I’m not inside the building or watching practice, so I’m not sure where Lagway stands in this area.

What I don’t want to see in week three is Lagway splitting or alternating full drives with Mertz, because that tells me they are comfortable with where Lagway is at regarding his knowledge of the playbook, ability to progress through reads, and overall decision making in different scenarios against an SEC defense. In that case, he should be starting. If Lagway is capable of getting one full drive, he should get the entire game.

The most likely scenario for Lagway is designed packages or series. A handful of plays or series that Lagway is comfortable running, where he can utilize his skillset to help Florida win the football game. I believe this can work, but you need a coach that has good feel for the game in order to maximize the results. For a two-quarterback system to really flourish, you can’t just alternate drives like it’s a tryout. You need a coach that knows when to put Lagway in based on the situation at hand.

Mertz is a veteran quarterback that has a ton of experience but is somewhat limited in what he can do at the quarterback position. Lagway is a rookie with a handful of snaps against Miami and a full game against an FCS team under his belt. Lagway undoubtedly has the higher ceiling with his arm strength dual-threat abilities. There’s little doubt that Lagway would make Florida’s offense more explosive, but how low is his floor in year one? I think that’s to be determined.

We should get more answers in week three vs Texas A&M.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Marcinko
Nick is a recent graduate from the University of Florida with a degree in Telecommunications. He is passionate about all sports but specifically baseball and football. Nick interned at Inside the Gators and worked part time with Knights247 before joining the Gator Country family. Nick enjoys spending his free time golfing and at the beach.