Billy Napier names Graham Mertz Florida Gators starting quarterback

Billy Napier named Graham Mertz the Florida Gators starting quarterback for the 2023 season after a hotly contested training camp battle. Mertz is a transfer for the Gators, who spent the last four years at Wisconsin.

The decision came ahead of the August 31 opener on the road against Utah. Mertz will officially replace Anthony Richardson, who went No. 4 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Indianapolis Colts. Earlier in the day, Napier met with the media and said his staff had decided on a starter, but would not name one until the team knew.

“We’ve seen enough,” Napier said. “I think the big thing is we want to go through a process with our players and team before we announce it to the media, if that makes sense.”

In Year 2 under Napier, the Gators officially have their guy under center for the fall.

More on the Florida quarterback battle

Graham Mertz came in with experience under his belt, plenty of it in fact. Before coming to Florida, the former Wisconsin signal caller got a fresh start this fall after four years with the Badgers.

He had his most productive season in 2022, throwing for 2,136 yards, 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 57.3% completion percentage. In his career, Mertz has 5,405 yards, 38 touchdowns, 26 interceptions and a 59.5% completion percentage.

As a member of the Class of 2019, Mertz was a four-star recruit out of Mission (Kan.) Blue Valley North, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 4 quarterback in the class and the No. 57 overall prospect in the class.

Jack Miller was another former Big Ten quarterback who found his way to the SEC. The former Ohio State signal caller played two seasons with the Buckeyes but never made it as a starter.

In limited action, including the 2022 season as a backup to Richardson in Gainesville, Miller has 281 yards, on 20-of-36 passing (55.6%).

As a member of the Class of 2020, Miller was a four-star recruit out of Scottsdale (Ari.) Chaparral, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 9 overall prospect in the state, the No. 26 quarterback in the class and the No. 356 overall prospect in the class.

This summer, Napier discussed how the two pushed each other on the field.

“I’ve been very impressed with Graham,” Napier said. “Graham’s a 32-start player, he’s played over 2,000 snaps at a really established program in Wisconsin and we went through an extensive process to make that decision. I think Graham’s an accomplished player, but more importantly, I’ve been impressed with the person and the leader …

“This guy has an incredible work ethic, he is in the building and he is fanatical about his preparation. 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.”