After three years as the starter at Wisconsin, Graham Mertz decided it was time for a change of scenery, transferring to the Florida Gators last offseason. All he did in his first year in “The Swamp” was set career-highs across the board, completing 261 of 358 attempts for 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just three interceptions.
At SEC Media Days, head coach Billy Napier heaped praise on his QB, but what can fans expect this season?
Billy Napier Gushes Over ‘Fun’ Graham Mertz During SEC Media Days
Napier called Mertz “probably one of the more fun players to coach I’ve had in my career,” and that’s coming from someone who just coached genetic lottery winner Anthony Richardson the year before.
But the Florida head coach didn’t stop there, saying that the starting QB is “primed to have a breakout year,” even with Florida owning the most difficult strength of schedule in the nation. Not only do the Gators have to host Miami (FL), Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU, and Ole Miss, but they also have to travel to Tennessee, Texas, and Florida State.
Much has been made of Mertz’s 72.9% completion rate, which led the conference last season. However, his average depth of target (ADOT) was the lowest in the SEC — you’d better complete passes that close to the line of scrimmage.
While I’m not buying the sixth-year redshirt senior as an elite QB, he does keep the football out of harm’s way, as highlighted by his 20:3 TD-to-INT ratio.
Yet, Mertz’s conservative play and lack of rushing ability severely handicap what the offense is able to do. But it’s not entirely his fault.
Offensive line coach Rob Sale has been the Gators’ offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, at least on paper. Napier has called the plays during his tenure, but a shakeup could be coming in 2024. TEs coach Russ Callaway was promoted to co-OC alongside Sale and has experience calling plays from his time at Samford (2018-19).
Still, Napier was noncommittal about relinquishing the job this offseason. “I think we’ve got time to figure those things out. But I mean, I don’t see any major overhauls outside of just how we organize that group and how we operate in-house.”
Outside of the scheme, the Gators only had two WRs with over 40 targets last season: slot demon Ricky Pearsall and true freshman Eugene Wilson III. Wilson recorded one of the lowest ADOTs in the country, as he was rarely deployed downfield.
Kahleil Jackson, the team’s third-leading receiver, was routinely sent past the first-down marker, but even at 6’3″ and 215 pounds, he rarely capitalized.
Although Pearsall was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft (rightly or wrongly), Wilson is back and should step into his slot-heavy role. The Gators also landed Arizona State’s Elijah Badger, who can be a true WR1, and Wisconsin’s Chimere Dike, who has the speed to push vertically and has experience catching passes from Mertz.
Nevertheless, Metz simply doesn’t have a powerful arm, and he struggled to connect 20+ yards downfield last year, owning one of the lowest completion rates in the conference on such attempts.
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That won’t slide for long in 2024, especially if Florida starts to drop games and Napier fills the itch to pull the trigger on five-star signal-caller DJ Lagway, who has all the physical tools at 6’3″ and 241 pounds.
While Napier has said all the right things publicly to give his current QB1 confidence, he’ll do what he has to avoid the Gators’ fourth straight losing season, a streak they haven’t suffered in nearly a century.
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