One of the most intriguing storylines for Florida football at the start of fall camp is the quarterback position. For the first time in what feels like forever, the Gators actually have a capable returning starter in veteran Graham Mertz.
What makes this such a position of interest is the arrival of Gatorade National Player of the Year, DJ Lagway. Lagway was a consensus five-star prospect out of Texas and chose the Gators over in-state powerhouse Texas A&M, among many others.
Florida head coach Billy Napier has said that Lagway will get reps this year and depending on his ability, fans could clamor for the future to begin immediately, especially if the Gators struggle out of the gate.
Mertz, who enters his sixth year of FBS football, transferred to Florida prior to last year after four years at Wisconsin. Despite the Gators finishing just 5-7 overall, Mertz set personal bests in virtually every statistical category in 2023. His 20-3 touchdown inception rate was phenomenal, but also indicates just how safe the game plan often was. This is also demonstrated by the spike in his completion percentage since arriving in Gainesville. In 2022, Mertz completed just 57.3% of his passes but that jumped to 72.9% with Florida.
To be clear, Graham Mertz will be the starting quarterback heading into the 2024 season, there is no question about that. Mertz was named to the preseason Maxwell Award Watchlist just last week. The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the player voted as the best all-around player in the nation.
As stated previously, Lagway will see live action, as well. A year ago, the talented signal caller tossed a Texas 6A record 59 touchdowns. He threw for more than 4,000 yards while completing 72.1% of his passing attempts. Lagway also offers the Gators the opportunity to run the quarterback. He rushed for more than 900 yards and 16 scores as a senior.
Ideally, Lagway is going to push Mertz into being an even better quarterback than he’s already shown and Mertz is going to help Lagway develop into the player we all think he’s capable of being.
Also in the room:
Florida added a couple of pieces to its QB room via the transfer portal.
- Clay Millen (Colorado State/Nevada), RS-Jr. Millen opened 2023 as the starter for the Rams after a successful freshman year campaign at Colorado State. Under Jay Norvell, Millen set the NCAA freshman completion percentage record (72.2%).
- Aidan Warner (Yale), RS-Fr. The 6’3, 206 lb signal caller did not play a snap for Yale but transferred to Gainesville as a walk-on.
The Gators also added a pair of walk-on freshmen.
- Paul Kessler, 6’5, 220 lbs, a freshman from Los Angeles, CA. Preferred walk-on.
- Lawrence Wright, IV, 6’1, 236 lbs. A freshman from Miami, played high school at PK Yonge. Son of 1996 National Champion Lawrence Wright.
The Gators aren’t super deep at the quarterback position, but the talent, especially among No. 1 and No. 2 is there. Graham Mertz is more than adequate as a starter and will help DJ Lagway become a better quarterback in the long run.
This is part one of our 2024 Florida Football Preview. Stay posted for our running backs room preview coming later this week.
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