Billy Napier assesses where Florida sits in quarterback competition

Billy Napier isn’t rushing Florida‘s quarterback battle. Graham Mertz and Jack Miller are neck-and-neck heading into the second week of fall camp and will likely come down to the final days before the Gators’ season opener.

He’s not budging on where he stands on the battle and gave a rather general answer on his outlook of the position for the rest of fall camp.

“We’re right in the middle of that process. We have competition and I’m looking forward to watching those guys for the next couple of days,” Napier said.

Napier will have to make a decision eventually. Mertz, a transfer from Wisconsin, was the favorite to become Richardson’s successor heading into the summer, but you wouldn’t know that by Napier’s response.

Breaking down apier’s two QBs: Mertz also has the experience advantage between the two, having thrown for 5,405 yards and 38 touchdown passes in his career with the Badgers. His 32 starts and over 2,000 snaps of college football are attractive to Napier, but that isn’t why he recruited him.

“I think Graham’s an accomplished player, but more importantly, I’ve been impressed with the person and the leader,” Napier said of Mertz at SEC Media Days.

Miller has made it tough for Napier to name Mertz the outright starter, as he’s living up to his high school ranking on the practice field. Having been a four-star high school prospect out of Scottsdale (AZ), he was ranked the No. 26 quarterback in the nation for the 2020 class according to On3’s Industry Ranking. 

Ohio State was his school of choice out of high school, appearing in six games in his two seasons with the Buckeyes before taking his talents down to the Swamp.

“This guy has an incredible work ethic, he is in the building and he is fanatical about his preparation,” Napier said of Miller at media days. “I think that has helped the competition, I think it’s caused Jack to respond. Jack’s had an incredible offseason and he’s in position for a great camp.”

While the competition continues, the good news for Florida is that all the pressure won’t be on the quarterback position for the Gators. That’s where the running backs come in. 

Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne will provide a strong one-two punch for Napier’s offense. The two tailbacks combined for 1,560 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2022 and now expectations are that much higher for the duo this fall. The added padding they provide out of the backfield should be enough for the Gators to get over the hump in 2023.