Billy Napier breaks down plan for playing multiple quarterbacks vs. Texas A&M

Florida is set to go into the weekend with a bit of a question mark at quarterback as the SEC opener against Texas A&M looms.

Senior starter Graham Mertz suffered a concussion against Miami and didn’t play last week against Samford, but the general expectation is that he’ll be cleared to play against the Aggies. Coach Billy Napier said he has one more hurdle to clear. But that doesn’t necessarily mean his old role will be there for him.

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Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway starred last week in his debut start against Samford, throwing for a freshman record 456 yards. It’s made it a legitimate debate about who should start. Perhaps both could play. Napier did confirm Lagway has gotten some first-team reps this week.

But with any two-quarterback system, there are risks. Napier doesn’t sound overly concerned by them as the Texas A&M game approaches.

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“I would tell you it’s a strength for our team, just in terms of we have two good players and obviously the relationship that these guys have and the work that they’ve done together going all the way back to January, I think has been awesome to be a part of, to observe and watch,” Napier said. “And I think our team feels the same way. Both these guys have high character, unbelievable work ethic, they’re great leaders. And we’re hopeful that can help our team continue to improve and put us in position to win games.”

Napier was pressed on an SEC teleconference call on Wednesday about how he’d break down things for the quarterbacks and who might play how many snaps.

He didn’t delve into exact specifics, but he noted the team will know exactly what the plan is.

“I think you’ll have some defined parameters going into the game so we can have confidence in both players, anticipate what to expect, not only for the quarterbacks but for the team,” Napier said. “Then there’s always a little bit of a feel within the game based on how things are going. We’ll define it for the players. We always do that at the end of the week for every position, not just the quarterback in terms of how many plays. Sometimes it’s the play count, sometimes it is specific to possessions, one-to-one, two-to-one, three-to-one. All positions on our team we try to define that before we go to the park.”

That’s not to say the plan can’t be adjusted on the fly against Texas A&M. Napier explained how the team might keep it an open competition for the first three quarters, then narrow it down to one guy in the fourth quarter.

“Sometimes like you’re mentioning, we may define it for the first three quarters and then whoever’s playing the best in the fourth,” Napier explained. “But every position group on our team we try to map that out going into the game so that we can play the players that are deserving, but also continue to develop players that need reps, need confidence, we want on the field so that they can continue to get experience and grow and learn.”

Lagway would certainly seem to be one of those guys worth developing with more on-field reps, even against Texas A&M.

Will offensive line impact quarterback decision?

Napier was also asked whether the offensive line and the shuffling there could have an impact on the quarterback decision. Florida hasn’t been great up front through the first two weeks, and Texas A&M has elite personnel in the front seven defensively.

Moreover, with quarterbacks with different skill sets — Mertz is a pocket passer while Lagway is a dual-threat prospect — will the line itself change depending on who is in?

“I think the big thing is we just need to be more consistent up front, right?” Napier said. “We need to play with better pad level, inside hands, we need to run off the ball. We need to have better fundamentals and technique and communication and then when we get into the passing situations and downs we’ve got to protect better.

“So more concerned with just the overall performance of the group. What mix of players that will be will be based off of how they practice and what we think is best for the team. But I would not say that it would be quarterback specific.”

Florida and Texas A&M will meet at 3:30 p.m. ET in the Swamp on Saturday, with a national broadcast on ABC.