Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Gators coach Billy Napier made official Friday afternoon what most expected: Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz is Florida's starting quarterback heading into the 2023 season.

Mertz joined the Gators in January after transferring from Wisconsin. He immediately announced his presence by diving into the playbook and spending most of his free time at the Heavener Football Training Center to quickly acclimate to his new team.

"We've seen enough,'' Napier said Friday prior to informing Mertz and his teammates of the decision. "I think the big thing I've been impressed with is just his ability to come in and learn the system, translate what he knows and apply that to our system. Probably's worked as hard as any player on our team."
 

Mertz started 32 games for the Badgers the past three seasons. He finished his Wisconsin career with a 19-13 record as the starter, with 38 touchdown passes, 26 interceptions, 5,405 passing yards, and a 59.5 percent completion percentage.

Mertz battled injuries and suffered from a string of injuries to his offensive line and receiving corps. Following a 6-6 record last season, Wisconsin fired head coach Paul Chryst and replaced him with Cincinnati's Luke Fickell, prompting Mertz to seek a fresh start.

"My biggest thing is I want to be coached, and I want to be coached hard,'' Mertz said of his decision in the spring. "The standard here is exactly where you want it to be. It was nice to have that plan and hear that. They were 100 percent honest with me, telling me what they saw in my game, what I needed to improve, and how they would improve it. That was very refreshing.

"For me, it was a no-brainer."

Gators linebacker Teradja Mitchell, who played against Mertz when Mitchell was at Ohio State, has been impressed with his new teammate.

"Graham, he's an experienced quarterback. I like his preparation. The way he prepares for the game is off the charts. You could tell that he was a smart quarterback [when I was at Ohio State]. That he made smart decisions with the ball. Could definitely manage the game. Great leader. We knew we couldn't make mistakes against him."

Mertz battled Ohio State transfer Jack Miller III, whose only appearance at UF came in the Gators' 31-3 loss to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl in December, for the job in preseason camp.