Florida injury updates: Latest on Graham Mertz, Montrell Johnson, RJ Moten

The Florida Gators left their game against rival Tennessee with an overtime loss and several injuries to key players on the team. That included quarterback Graham Mertz, running back Montrell Johnson, and defensive back RJ Moten.

Following the game, head coach Billy Napier praised the performance of Mertz while sharing an update on his status, as well as the status of Johnson and Moten.

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“I think it’s tough,” Billy Napier said. “Obviously, Graham played phenomenal in the game in my opinion. I thought he was lights out. Really prepared well and came to play. He does have an injury, a lower-body injury. Obviously, we’ll give you some updates on that once when we get to next week. It was significant enough that he couldn’t complete the game.”

The injury to Mertz came in the third quarter when Florida held a 10-point lead over Tennessee. It appeared to be a non-contact injury with Mertz falling to to the ground after pulling up after hopping backward. On3’s Pete Nakos has reported that he will undergo an MRI and imaging testing on Sunday to determine the extent of the injury.

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The quarterback position has been a unique one this season for the Florida Gators. Mertz has played the majority of the snaps as the experienced quarterback in the room. However, he’s largely shared time with true freshman DJ Lagway, who was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. In the Tennessee game, Lagway completed nine of 17 passes for 98 yards a touchdown, and an interception.

The offense took another major hit when running back Montrell Johnson left the game with an injury. Similarly, Billy Napier explained he wasn’t able to return. He led the Gators in rushing with 85 yards. RJ Moten, a defensive back, brings plenty of experience to the Florida defense. However, Napier wasn’t specific about either of those injuries yet.

“I think that Montrell Johnson was in that category as well, wasn’t able to return,” Napier said. “And then RJ Moten had an injury that was a little bit of a setback.”

The hope for Florida is that none of these are major injuries and all three players can return soon. Next up for the Gators is another tough SEC game. This one comes against the Kentucky Wildcats. After that, the Gators will play four straight games against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll.