Where Did Florida QB Graham Mertz Play in High School?

Graham Mertz was a highly-regarded high school football recruit who started slow at the collegiate level before experiencing a late-career resurgence.

Where did Mertz get his start, and where did he set his foundation in the sport?

Where Did Graham Mertz Play in High School?

Mertz began at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park, Kansas. There, he served as a backup before transferring to Blue Valley North High School in Mission, Kansas. It was at Blue Valley North where he emerged as a top recruit at the national level.

In his junior year — his first as a full-time starter — Mertz led Blue Valley North to a state championship. As a senior, he again led his team to the state final while also amassing 3,886 passing yards and a Kansas state-record 51 touchdowns.

Mertz’s success ultimately put him on the radar of collegiate teams. He was also invited to the 2018 Elite 11 Passing Camp, where he was a finalist in the throwing competition.

Mertz was also on the high school All-American Team and earned All-American Game MVP honors after throwing five touchdowns.

How Did Mertz End Up at Florida?

Mertz was a highly coveted high school passer. He was a top-200 national talent on most outlets and a four-star QB recruit in the 2019 class.

The Kansas product fielded offers from a host of CFB powerhouses — including Alabama, LSU, Georgia, and Notre Dame — but he surprised many when he chose to play at Wisconsin instead.

Mertz joined the Wisconsin Badgers with heavy fanfare. Wisconsin was, at the time, a program not known for its quality or consistent quarterback play in recent years. Mertz’s presence, for many, brought recollections of a more fruitful era with Russell Wilson.

However, Mertz’s career at Wisconsin ultimately didn’t go as planned. Despite being a highly regarded freshman, he lost the starting quarterback battle to Jack Coan in 2019 and sat on the bench for most of the year.

In 2020, Mertz saw his most starting action to date, and the Badgers went 9-4 with him at the helm. But in fact, that record was often in spite of Mertz, who himself still proved inconsistent, completing just 59.5% of his passes for 1,958 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

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The Badgers stuck with Mertz in 2022, and again, the returns were mixed at best. He achieved a career-high 2,136 yards, but his completion percentage dropped, and his touchdown-to-turnover efficiency remained unsatisfactory.

Ultimately, Mertz chose to seek out a fresh start. That’s how he came to join the Florida Gators, taking the reins from first-round pick Anthony Richardson as Billy Napier’s signal-caller.

Mertz’s first season at Florida wasn’t without its hardships, and the Gators fell short of bowl contention. But this time, Mertz’s performance was an objective bright spot. He achieved career-highs in all categories, completing 261 of 358 attempts (72.9%) for 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just three picks.

Now, the question plaguing Mertz is, can the sixth-year senior continue to elevate his game in 2024 and perhaps lead Florida to greater pastures?

Mertz’s 2023 campaign was a massive step in the right direction, and his talent is starting to shine through as a result.

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