On3 Roundtable: How real Florida's quarterback competition is entering season

A fascinating quarterback battle is going down in Gainesville between Graham Mertz and Jack Miller ahead of Billy Napier’s second season with the Florida Gators.

While many believe Mertz has a leg up due to his immense experience as a starting quarterback at Wisconsin, Miller won’t go away without a fight. There’s layers to it, and that’s exactly why Nick de la Torre of Gators Online joined On3’s JD PicKell for the latest edition of On3 Roundtable.

“Speaking of the quarterback position, you’ve got Jack Miller, and then you’ve got Graham Mertz, who transferred in from Wisconsin, played a lot of football. How real is that battle?” prefaced PicKell, asking de la Torre for his opinion on the matter. “Is it Graham Mertz’s job to lose? Where do things stand right now going into fall camp?”

As many do, de la Torre believes Mertz is currently in the lead, but he’s not discounting Miller, as it’s not over until it’s over.

“I think it’s Graham Mertz’s job to lose,” theorized de la Torre. “Last year, when you look at it, he did not leave Wisconsin to come and hold the clipboard for Jack Miller. Now, you can probably say the same about Jack Miller and Anthony Richardson, but that was obviously AR’s team last year. So I think Graham Mertz was given every opportunity to win the job in the spring, he just didn’t get that done. Billy Napier, (Offensive Analyst) Ryan O’Hara and the staff here love what Graham Mertz brings, in terms of veteran leadership and presence. I think he would be the odds-on favorite.

“If you have a betting slip, I’d put Graham Mertz’s name on it, but he hasn’t won that job just yet.”

Of course, Napier didn’t have to worry much about a quarterback competition last season, as Anthony Richardson entered the season as the unquestioned starting quarterback, and turned in a season that led to him becoming a top five pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Is the ceiling that high for either Mertz or Miller? It remains to be seen, but Florida will take winning some ball games over becoming a high draft pick.

The Gators have a hellacious schedule this season, and they’re going to need above-average quarterback play to get the job done. If not, it could be an ugly season for Napier in his second year on the job.

Time will tell if Graham Mertz or Jack Miller is chosen to lead the Gators’ offense, but Florida is going to be a storyline to watch in the next couple of months, regardless of who the quarterback is.