Mike Elko analyzes challenge of preparing for both Graham Mertz, DJ Lagway

The Florida Gators are in the midst of a bit of a quarterback controversy between Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway. Now, with both quarterbacks expected to play against Texas A&M, Aggies head coach Mike Elko broke down the challenges of preparing for both quarterbacks.

Elko explained on The Aggie Football Hour that it makes it difficult because the team needs to be prepared for both players’ skill-sets, making it kind of like the opening game of the season.

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“You really can’t get a good plan on how they’re going to utilize them both,” Mike Elko said. “You’re hearing a lot that they’re gonna play them both in the game in some capacity. You just do the best you can to kind of predict skill-set wise what parts of the offense fit each kid and kind of have a plan in your head of how you want to leverage the defense based on who’s in there.”

Graham Mertz returned in 2024 for his second season with the Florida program and came into the season as the starter. However, after he suffered a concussion in the team’s Week 1 loss to Miami, DJ Lagway took over under center.

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“At the end of the day, it does play out like an opener,” Elko said. “Where it’s like now you start to feel a rhythm of what’s happening and you try to make the adjustments along the way.”

For his part, Lagway is a true freshman who came to Florida as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the top-ranked quarterback overall in the class and there is a lot of excitement about his future at Florida thanks to his obvious talent. However, he’s still young and doesn’t offer the same type of experience as Mertz.

Earlier in the week, Florida head coach Billy Napier shared that the intention for Florida is to play both of his quarterbacks, though he didn’t share how much either individual would play.

“It’s a blessing to have two really good quarterbacks and certainly one with a ton of experience and one without,” Napier said. “But there’s no doubt both of these guys will make us harder to defend. We intend to use both of them.”

Once the game begins, Florida’s quarterback plan should become more obvious. For now, though, Mike Elko is going to need to be ready to see both players before the Aggies enter The Swamp on Saturday.