Former Wisconsin Badger quarterback Graham Mertz was named the starter for the Florida Gators yesterday.
Florida Head Coach Billy Napier makes the call after Mertz battled for the job all offseason with Jack Miller, who transferred from Ohio State ahead of the 2022 season.
The season is Mertz’s fifth at the collegiate level. The former four-star recruit redshirted at Wisconsin in 2019 before starting for the school from 2020-2022. Wisconsin went 20-13 overall in that time, failing to win the Big Ten West in any of the seasons. Mertz finished his Wisconsin career with a 59.5 completion percentage, 5405 yards, 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
He now prepares to start for a Florida Gators team that has gone 6-7 in each of the last two seasons. As some traditional SEC powers have returned to prominence, Florida is firmly planted in the middle of the conference.
Florida coach Billy Napier announces that former Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz has been named the starter this season.
— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple) August 11, 2023
Despite a lack of game-changing talent around him on offense, we’ll see if Mertz can capture some of his 2020 Illinois magic in his final collegiate season.