QB - Graham Mertz

Wouldn’t be a bad thing. We did win some games with Luke …and with less talent on offense. No one is expecting championship level football this season anyway.

 

When was the last time we had a 3 year starter QBing a UF football team. Starting experience matters. If you look at kids best Wisconsin games, there is great potential there. Look at turnover of HCs and OCs while at Wisconsin. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. WR and TE is our weakness on offense. Not a lot of creative routes to get WRs open in space. We need to confuse some D’s next year. Throwing to TE and RBs more may help create more space for others

 

Exactly where I am. I've read enough from this thread to sort out the negative vs. positive comments and I'm falling on the cautiously optimistic side. I think we have a game manager with enough experience and natural talent to expect a much more consistent performance from the position this coming season. The big question marks are at other positions.

 

LDR was the QB for one of our last two wins against the stinky bulldogs.

 

Exactly, he wasn’t terrible. Not unworldly physically gifted but he could run an offense. Maybe a bit like Bennet turned out if he could have stayed on the field.

 

If we ask him to carry the team we may be in trouble. I can see taking the load off of him that was put on him in Wisconsin and he may go just fine

 

I was at the game Treon beat them. That was great, no qb at all really and we won.

 

From the 2019 class,
2019 Top Football Recruits

Graham Mertz, 6'3 205, is the #3 Pro-style QB (#65 overall) from Mission, Kansas. Graham Mertz, Florida, Quarterback

#1 Pro, 6'1 198 Spencer Rattler (#11 overall, Oklahoma transfer to S.Carolina)
#2 Pro, 6'3 230 Ryan Hilinski (#64 overall, S.Carolina)
#3 Pro, 6'3 205 Graham Mertz (#65 overall Wisconsin to Florida)

#1 Dual, Bo Nix(#33 overall, Auburn transfer to Oregon)
#2 Dual, Jayden Daniels (#35 overall, Aizona St transfer to LSU)

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I only posted this to see where Mertz ranks with other returning quarterbacks from the 2019 class that are still playing in 2023. As a former top 100/top 65 player and as a part-time?, three-year starter at Wisconsin, Mertz does rank relatively favorably.
Graham Mertz Game by Game Stats and Performance | ESPN
Mertz: 164/286 (57%) 2136y 19 TD 10 Ints.
Compared with Anthony Richardson's stats:
176/327 (53.8%) 2549y, 17 TD 9 Ints; 103/654 rushing, 10 TD's

Mertz and the other transfers and incoming freshman class could give Florida a chance for a nice bounceback season from the last two seasons' identical 6-7 records. But then again, I think that it largely depends on any defensive improvements going forward!


I think that Florida has a 2-2 record against Rattler(1-1), Nix(1-0) and Daniels(0-1).

However, both Spencer Rattler (249 passing/3 passing TDs; 40y rushing/1 rush TD in OU's 2020 Cotton Bowl win over Florida) & Jayden Daniels (349 passing/3 passing TDs, 44y rushing/3 rushing TDs (6 TD's overall) in LSU's 2022 win over UF) had huge passing/rushing games in their respective wins against UF.

Florida will again face both Daniels & Rattler & their current teams LSU/S.Carolina for the 2023 season. Florida's defense had better step it up when they face them again or it could be another disapointing outcome. Florida did manage to defensively, bottle up South Carolina in their win but Rattler is still capabale (see the gamecock's wins over both Tennessee & Clemson in 2022).Spencer Rattler Game by Game Stats and Performance | ESPN

Wow! Against the vols, Rattler had 400y+ passing and 6 TD's!

Jayden Daniels: 266/388 2943 17 TD, 3 Ints; 186/885y , 11 TDs
Spencer Rattler: 264/399 3026 18 TD, 12 Ints; 3 TDs rushing
Bo Nix(Oregon): 294/409 3593y 29 TD, 7 Ints; 89/510 14 TDs



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Former UF members from the 2019 class:
#48 CB Kaiir Elam (1st RD NFL, Buffalo),
#71 WDE Khris Boggle (transfered to Michigan St in 2022)
#88 OLB Tyron Hopper (transferred to ?Missouri)

Except for some offensive linemen, there is hardly anyone left from that 2019 Florida class! I guess that is what college football has become these days.
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I love Spock..

 

Things could be worse... if no Mertz, then we would be all in with Miller and his one career start running for his life.

Mertz may not be a head turner but I think we will turn out to be a good QB for us. Look how well he did when Wisconsin fired their coach, who Ala Muschamp muddled in the offensive game plan. Once he was fired , Wisconsin brought back play action plays and Mertz ripped off the next game against Northwestern hr had 5 tds I believe.

We all know how a bad an intrusive HBC can be to a qb, so let's hope Napier puts Mertz in play calling situations which fit his talents, which seem to be play action instead of under center drop back passer.

And playbaction plays right into our having great RBs so as long as Oline is good we should be fine.

 

Interesting stats from 2022 via 247, considering there are 120 teams in the mix (link below):

"The Gators ranked No. 14 in yards per rush against FBS teams and No. 26 in total rushing yards per game but finished the season ranked No. 90 among FBS teams in passing yards per game, No. 117 in completion percentage and No. 63 in yards per pass."

Gators hiring former Auburn OC Eric Kiesau in analyst role

 

Ya don’t say.

 

I would say that the bar for improving those passing game numbers is not especially high. Suddenly, Mertz doesn't look all that bad to me. Is it time for spring practice yet?

 

Treon beat the dawgs my man

 

Mertz will have a higher completion percentage than AR. Book it

 

Might want to re-read the post, my man.

 

I'm not as much worried about his completion percentage than his completion percentage to the other team.

 

Well, that was the same as AR’s.

 

Actually AR was the opposite....he cut down his interception rate significantly in the latter 2/3 of 2022. His completion rate was head scratching considering it was the easy throws he struggled to make.