Graham Mertz returning to Florida Gators in 2024
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators received good news on Thursday afternoon. Redshirt junior quarterback Graham Mertz announced that he would return for his redshirt senior season. Mertz just finished the best season of his college career but, ultimately, felt like he had unfinished business with the Gators.
Mertz came to Florida from Wisconsin and earned the starting job heading into the season. The redshirt junior completed 72.9% of his pass attempts (261-358), a career-high completion percentage. He also set career highs in yards (2,903) and touchdowns (20) while throwing just three interceptions.
“I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had in my life,” Mertz said after the South Carolina game. “I’m not really consumed by the stats. I’m truly just having the most just genuine fun I’ve ever had in my life, during the week, in meetings, on gamedays. I want to win with this team. Stats are good, but it’s not my main focus. I just want to help this team win.”
Mertz missed Florida’s final game against FSU after sustaining a collarbone injury. Florida is confident that the non-displaced fracture will not need surgery and that Mertz will be able to be a full participant this spring.
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“We took another image (Sunday after the Missouri loss). We felt good about that image. We’re basically going to go in a two-week period here where we’re going to give a chance for the fracture to start the process of growing back and then we’ll reevaluate things,” Billy Napier said of the injury. “I think in the meantime we’re going to do exhaustive research on like cases in college football and the National Football League relative to players that have been through similar injuries, just making sure we’re giving him the best map for him going forward with the rest of his career.”
Mertz will lead the Florida Gators quarterback room in 2024
Mertz’s decision to return comes just a day after redshirt freshman Max Brown announced that he would enter the transfer portal. That leaves the Gators with just two scholarship quarterbacks but it would not be surprising to see Jack Miller enter the transfer portal once he graduates. If Miller stays Florida will have three scholarship quarterbacks when five-star DJ Lagway enrolls this winter.
Regardless of the numbers, Mertz will be Florida’s starting quarterback in 2024. He will also play a huge role in mentoring Lagway, who is viewed as the future of the Gators program. Mertz is a leader and a veteran in the lockerroom who will be able to help Lagway adjust to the college game and take him under his wing.
