Florida names Graham Mertz as starting quarterback

In the second season of the Billy Napier era, the Gators had a hole at QB coming into the season and have decided to fill it with Graham Mertz. What are the expectations with Mertz at QB?

According to multiple outlets, the Florida Gators have named Graham Mertz as their starting QB. During his time with the Wisconsin Badgers, Mertz wasn’t the best quarterback but was not in the best situation with Paul Chryst having his last days as the head coach of the Badgers.

During his time with the Badgers, Mertz in his best moments was a player who could be a functioning part of the offense. On his best days, Mertz would not be a superstar or enhance the offense by any means but he did not play exceptionally poorly and be a huge negative for the team.

He will have a better offensive coach with Billy Napier in charge. Still, it would be hard to see Mertz being able to throw for over 230+ passing yards when they get to SEC play. Even though it is unlikely that he is able to excel at the QB position, Mertz could be what the Florida Gators need. The Gators already have a solid running back rotation in Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne.

What does the Gators’ season outlook look like with Graham Mertz at the QB position?

If Mertz is not a turnover machine, the Gators could have a chance to end up being a team that ends up winning 7 or 8 games in the regular season. While it might not seem like much of a difference from last season, the Gators have not won more than 6 games for the last two seasons. Depending on how players drop out (for various reasons) of the bowl game, this could be the first time that the Gators win a bowl game in three years.

The Gators might not end up being one of the best teams in the SEC this season or even a top-three team in the SEC East. Still, Mertz can lead Florida to a successful season which would continue the overall trajectory of this program going forward.