Florida Gators

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The toughest player on Florida's football team is not the typical poster boy of such distinction.

Graham Mertz is a well-conditioned athlete who stands 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. He is having the best season of his college career, but NFL scouts won't confuse him with, say, a physical freak like Anthony Richardson, the player Mertz replaced at Florida this season.

Mertz and his mop-top hairstyle strolled into Memorial Stadium late Saturday afternoon dressed more for a day at the law firm than the final Southeastern Conference game of the season. He wore stylish shades, a swanky watch, and a dark blue suit, carried a designer leather tote bag, and stepped toward the locker room in polished Oxfords.

The man knows style.

But don't let Mr. GQ fool you. He packs a punch and can take one.

"Graham's a warrior,'' said Max Brown, Florida's backup quarterback.

If anyone doubts Mertz's standing as the Toughest Gator, the fourth-year junior quarterback crushed them Saturday night in Florida's 33-31 loss at Missouri. Mertz proved his toughness this season long ago behind a leaky offensive line, bouncing up from the turf repeatedly following bruising hits.

But whatever the final memory of Mertz becomes during his time at Florida, one play Saturday night symbolized what he brought to the team in head coach Billy Napier's second season.

With Missouri leading 23-21 late in the third quarter, the Gators faced third-and-5 at their 30-yard line. Mertz dropped back to pass, faced pressure, and took off running. A few yards before the first-down marker, Tigers linebacker Chuck Hicks and cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. converged for the tackle. Mertz lowered his head and shoulders and bulldozed his way to a first down, leaving Hicks and Rakestraw strewn on the field in need of attention from Missouri's medical staff.

Mertz encountered another set of tacklers at the end of his 11-yard run, giving the Gators a huge first down. He bounced off Faurot Field, possessed by the eye of the tiger, motioning first down.

"First of all, what a play. What a competitor,'' Napier said. "If Gator Nation doesn't respect Graham Mertz after watching him compete this year, then we've got a problem. This kid has been everything that you would want." The adrenaline quickly wore off.

On the next play, Mertz turned to hand off to running back Montrell Johnson Jr. As soon as Johnson took the ball, Mertz turned to Florida's sideline and started to point at his left shoulder. Mertz almost reached the sideline before crumpling to the ground for medical attention. He immediately went for X-rays, and the result was a non-displaced collarbone fracture, according to Napier.

Mertz's injury is a severe blow in a season full of harsh moments for the Gators, who have lost four consecutive games heading into next week's regular-season finale at The Swamp against rival Florida State.

The Gators are expected to make official on Monday what all signs pointed toward late Saturday night on a chilly Missouri night: that Mertz's season is over, his final snap of 2023 coming in his 43rd career start and the closest one to his home in Overland Park, Kansas, about 150 miles west of Memorial Stadium.

His parents watched from the stands Saturday. They could have done without watching their son leave the field in pain.

Brown replaced Mertz and gave the Gators a chance, leading them on a pair of scoring drives. The final trek ended in a 35-yard field goal by Trey Smack and a 31-30 lead with 96 seconds remaining. That was too much time in the end, as Tigers kicker Harrison Mevis booted the game-winner with five seconds left.

Brown credited Mertz with helping him not wilt in the moment.

"He's done a great job and been a great leader throughout the whole season,'' Brown said. "He's really helped me prepare for this moment."

Mertz arrived at Florida in January from Wisconsin, where his career had stalled. Mertz sought a fresh start following a coaching change after last season. The Gators needed a quarterback following Richardson's early entry into the NFL Draft, and the marriage has been a happy one. Mertz has thrown for 2,903 yards, completed 72.9 percent of his passes, and tossed 20 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

Mertz ranks among the top transfer performers in the country this season.

Stats don't tell the complete story. Mertz joined the Gators on a mission. He set up shop at the Heavener Training Center and set an example for his younger teammates. He worked harder and longer than anyone. He took time to get to know teammates away from the field. He earned their respect and made an impact.

Mertz's future with the Gators is uncertain. Napier and Co. would welcome him back with open arms because he has another season of eligibility. He's also played well enough to raise his stock in the eyes of professional scouts and could find a roster spot in the NFL.

First, Mertz must get healthy and back on the field. The Gators are not where they want to be as a program, but it's scary to think of where they would be without Mertz.

He's the toughest of them all.