Graham Mertz provides update on collarbone injury: 'I'm doing great'

Graham Mertz‘s first season as Florida ended with him on the sidelines as the Gators fell one game short of a postseason berth as he recovered from a non-displaced fracture in his collarbone.

He’s back on the field five months later for spring ball, and is expected to retain his QB1 status heading into his sixth season of college football. Now, Mertz has revealed the latest on his injury recovery during an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday.

“It was a little bit of a health scare. I’ve never broken a collarbone before,” Mertz told Finebaum. “But I’m doing great, man. I’m doing great. It was my first time really getting hurt in college and taking a step back, being on the sideline for a game and having that experience [off the field]. So for me, it really made me grateful for everyday waking up and being able to do what I love to do.

“You feel blessed every day because you’re living out your childhood dream and wake up everyday refreshed. So it’s been fantastic.”

As a redshirt junior, Mertz completed 72.9% of his pass attempts (261-358), throwing for 2,903 yards and 20 touchdowns compared to three interceptions — all of which were career highs.

His seasons would be prematurely ended against Missouri in November, which was when he injured his collar bone after rushing for a first down in the third quarter. Oddly enough, the worst part for Mertz wasn’t the initial break, the Gators QB explained to Finebaum.

“It hurt when I broke it, but the worst thing was sleeping for the next two months,” Mertz said. “You’re sleeping in a sling like this, straight up. I had about a, probably, span of a month where I was catching up on sleep after that.”

As Mertz progresses throughout the spring, the Gators have also welcomes DJ Lagway, Mertz’ heir apparent, into the program. Coming in as a five-star recruit and No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 class, per On3’s Industry Rankings, fans in Gainesville are going to be itching to see what their new blue-chip gunslinger can do at Florida. Of course, a bit of healthy quarterback competition coming into the season never hurt anyone.

Mertz will kick off his final college football season against in-state rival Miami on Aug. 31 inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. They’ll kick off SEC play against Texas A&M two weeks after that, seeing the Gators’ season start fast and furious for the Gators in 2024.