Gators land Big Ten transfer at quarterback

The University of Florida has reeled in a quarterback out of the transfer portal.

Graham Mertz, a multi-year starter from Wisconsin, announced a commitment to the Gators on Wednesday evening. He announced his intention to transfer on Dec. 4 and took an unofficial visit to UF on Dec. 10.

Coastal Carolina transfer Grayson McCall was linked to UF’s search at quarterback as well; however, it looks as if Billy Napier’s staff will be rolling with Mertz instead.

With Anthony Richardson off to the NFL, all have been on Jack Miller for the 2023 season. Commit Jaden Rashada is expected to compete for the starting job as well; however, landing Mertz would provide with the Gators with an experienced player to compete with Miller for the starting quarterback job.

This past season, Mertz completed 164-of-286 passes for 2,136 yards and 19 touchdowns. He recorded a pair of rushing scores as well; however, he was also responsible for 10 interceptions.

Last year, Mertz threw for 1,958 yards and 10 touchdowns but struggled with turnovers, tossing 11 interceptions, including four vs. Notre Dame. However, he did guide the Badgers to seven straight victories after starting the season 1-3.

During a four-game stretch that featured wins against Iowa, Rutgers, Northwestern and Nebraska, Mertz accounted for 705 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.

Mertz’s first-career start during the 2020 season was arguably his best performance. as he completed 20-of-21 passes for 248 yards and five touchdowns in a over Illinois. He started the game by completing 17 straight passes and set Wisconsin’s single-game completion percentage record, which is 95.2.

All in all, Mertz has completed 460-of-773 passes for 5,405 yards, 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions, holding a passer rating of 127.7. He has recorded eight rushing touchdowns as well.

Mertz previously suited up for Mission (Kan.) Blue Valley North and was a four-star recruit. He was the No. 57 prospect overall and No. 4 quarterback in the 2019 class. That is according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What Gators fans need to know about the transfer portal

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. If a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.

Stay tuned to Gators Online.