Aidan Warner: From Gator Fan to Gators Backup Quarterback

Aidan Warner's transfer from Yale to Florida fell under the radar, but after Graham Mertz's season-ending injury, the former Gator fan now finds himself as DJ Lagway's immediate backup.

Oct 19, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Aidan Warner (16) and Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) smile after a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators' 2024 season has been one of a "next man up" mentality, and that mentality is no stranger in the quarterback room. After a concussion and now-ACL tear to starter Graham Mertz, the Gators turn to freshman DJ Lagway as the starter, but his backup is one not many know about.

Yale transfer Aidan Warner, a walk-on from Winter Park, Florida, was expected to be a depth piece in the Gators' quarterback room after Florida welcomed Colorado State transfer Clay Millen as the team's third scholarship quarterback.

But it was Warner who took snaps in relief of Lagway in the team's 45-7 win over Samford, where he scored his first-career touchdown on a nine-yard rush late in the fourth quarter.

"It was unreal. I don't even remember it. I blacked out," Warner said. "It was the coolest moment of my life. Really what I dreamed of since I was a little kid."

TD Aidan Warner, his first collegiate score! Gets mobbed by his teammates. #Gators 45, Samford 7 (00:48, 4Q)@aidanwarner_3 @GatorsIllust pic.twitter.com/Po4LmwSgFj

— Cam Parker (@camparker25) September 8, 2024

He didn't even realize until the day-of that he was the second-string against the Bulldogs.

"The day of the Samford game, Saturday morning, is when they told me that I was going to, you know, if we were winning by enough, I was going to get a chance there," Warner. "So after that, I knew that I was the second string. They've been pushing me a little harder, you know, keeping me in the playbook, making sure I'm involved for just in case Graham did go down or DJ did go down."

Now with Mertz out for the season and Lagway taking the reins as the full-time starter, Warner again finds himself as the immediate backup, this time for the rest of the season. Head coach Billy Napier officially announced the decision last week, and it was confirmed when Warner took snaps against Kentucky.

His journey, though, is not like many SEC quarterbacks. He grew up a Gator fan but found himself at Yale for an opportunity to play college football. It was a trip to Gainesville for a game last season with his family, though, that had him questioning his future.

 "I was at the FSU game last year with my family, and I experienced a night game here in The Swamp, and I told my family, like, I don't care if I never played a down there. I want to go there," Warner said.

It didn't come without outside questions, though. He was giving up a scholarship opportunity at an Ivy League school where he could possibly start in favor of a walk-on opportunity where he would likely never play. Instead, he ignored the questions and trusted his decision.

"I mean, a lot of people were telling me, you know, you're done playing football, like you're going to go there to the bench," Warner said. "And, I kind of put my head down and decided that I was going work and prove myself. So, I'm kind of shocked myself that I am where I am right now. I mean, I would have never expected this, but I'm really thankful for the opportunity they're giving me."

Even his arrival to Florida in January didn't come without some difficulties, though. His physical revealed he had a complete ACL tear, which he was told was a sprained MCL while at Yale. A surgery and rehab period later, Warner recovered in time for the Gators' 2024 season.

The fact that he's seeing the field as a walk-on is a testament to his dedication. The fact that he's doing it nearly eight months after ACL surgery is another miracle in and of itself.

"I mean, it's been a wild ride," Warner said. "So, just a lot of hard work getting into practice, building that confidence and realizing that I can play here. Once I had that confidence, I was off and running."

In only two appearances, both of which came after the games were well out of reach and in games where Mertz was unavailable, Warner is 2-for-3 for 30 yards and a nine-yard rushing touchdown. He hasn't been asked to play much, but his role as the Gators' immediate backup to Lagway far extends past what happens on the field, though.

The Florida quarterback room, which is currently made up of Mertz, Lagway, Warner, Millen and walk-ons Paul Kessler, Aaron Williams and Lawrence Wright IV, has some of the strongest relationships on the team. In the midst of a tough season, they find themselves relying on each other.

When Mertz first announced his season, and collegiate career, was over, he immediately made his plans to be a player-mentor to Lagway and Warner known. Warner credits Mertz for his own knowledge of the Gator offense.

"He's always there for me," Warner said. "He's a fantastic guy on and off the field. He knows everything about our offense, everything about the quarterback position. If I ever have a question, he's always open to talk to me, whether it's about life or quarterback. So he's been extremely helpful, really. I mean, I'm where I'm at here in this offense football-wise because of how much help he's given me."

Warner even finds himself now mentoring Mertz, whose ACL injury is very similar to the one Warner previously suffered. Both had it happen while making a cut, and with Mertz around six months away from a possible Pro Day work out, Warner is advising him in his recovery based his own experiences.

"As soon as it happened, I told him I'm here for him whenever he needs anything. I've been through it, and he's going to be okay," Warner said. "You know, big worry for him is being healthy for his pro day. And I told him that, you know, I'm seven-and-a-half, eight months out of surgery right now, and I'm doing it great, and I know he's going work harder than I did in PT. So, he'll be just fine. And I think, you know, he reached out to me for advice on it, and I'm always here for him."

That camaraderie will be needed going forward in the room, even without Mertz on the field. Lagway is now 2-0 as a starting quarterback, but it only gets harder after the upcoming bye week.

Florida faces tough stretch with four-straight ranked opponents, including playoff-contenders Georgia and Texas in back-to-back weeks. It'll be tough for Florida, but Warner is confident after the team's performance against the Wildcats.

"I think it was awesome. Building off of obviously, at Tennessee, it was a tough loss, but it kind of just fueled us," he said. "We had a really good week of practice. I think we all knew we were going to come in here play well because we all wanted it. But definitely, like, putting up the score that we did, and, our defense playing, our offense playing, we're really clicking on all cylinders. I think that was really good for us going into this off week."

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