How Is Billy Napier Evaluating Florida’s QB Competition?

Billy Napier explains what he is looking for in Florida's quarterback competition, with Graham Mertz and Jack Miller III in the thick of a battle to start for the Gators.

Photo (left to right): Jack Miller III, Graham Mertz and Micah Leon; Credit: Zach Goodall

The choice was obvious a year ago.

It was time for Florida to see what it had in quarterback Anthony Richardson. New head coach Billy Napier knew it, former Gators starting quarterback Emory Jones knew it, and so did just about everyone else.

That isn't the case in the spring of 2023 now that Richardson is a top NFL Draft prospect. Napier, entering his second season in charge at UF, is currently overseeing his first Gators quarterback competition. 

Three scholarship quarterbacks — redshirt junior Graham Mertz, redshirt sophomore Jack Miller III and redshirt freshman Max Brown — are taking part, although Mertz's and Miller's numerous years of collegiate experience seemingly outweigh Brown's three seasons of playing the sport in total at this time.

What does Napier, not only the head coach but also Florida's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, want to glean from the battle? 

"Ultimately, I think you're looking for a guy that wins over the staff," Napier explained to reporters on Monday. "But also, more importantly, wins over the team.

"I think at some point the leadership component, you know, there's a trust part of this relative to, you know, do the players trust the guy? Does the staff trust the guy? Certainly for me as the play-caller."

Billy Napier, Graham Mertz and Jack Miller III during Florida's 2023 spring training camp / Zach Goodall

Napier has pointed to the "leadership component" on several occasions throughout spring camp, considering it an area of needed growth for Florida's offense to make a jump in 2023 after ranking seventh in the SEC in yards per game (424.1) and ninth in points per game (29.5) during the head coach's debut campaign with the Gators. 

Both Miller and Mertz have been propped up by teammates and coaches for seemingly meeting the marks as pacesetters thus far. The two have split first-team reps during each spring practice media viewing period this year, leading their unit and skill positions through various drills. 

Miller, a former Ohio State transfer who made his starting premiere in Florida's out-manned, 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the 2022 Las Vegas Bowl, has specifically grown from his experiences in the eyes of his counterparts. He's gripped onto the opportunity to carry influence within UF's offense after missing the majority of last season with an injury to the thumb in his throwing hand.

"Playing an actual game for the first time was a big step for him and his experience. I could tell when the game was going through that he was starting to calm down a little bit and keep his poise," wide receiver Ricky Pearsall said about Miller on Apr. 1. 

"I think he grew a lot from that. Then I can obviously tell even his demeanor at practice, he's really poised out there, he's taken on that leadership role as a quarterback. Yeah, he's looking real good right now. He's got a good touch on the ball." 

Meanwhile, Mertz — a 2023 offseason transfer who started for three seasons at Wisconsin — quickly established a reputation as a first-in, last-out-of-the-facility quarterback upon enrolling at Florida. He earned immediate praise inside the building for setting a strong example for his new teammates.

"Very, very impressed. He's going to make the guys in that room around him about how he approaches his work and how he comes in here, how he uses this video board," offensive line coach Rob Sale said about Mertz on March 7. "He'll make the guys around him in that room better just by the way he prepares, because they're gonna go, 'Whoa.' " 

Upon his arrival in Gainesville, Mertz was assumed to have a leg up on any competition for Florida's role of starting quarterback provided his experience. After Richardson's departure and before Mertz's enrollment, Miller's 36 career passing attempts were the most of any signal-caller on UF's roster.

Comparatively, Mertz made 773 passing attempts in 34 games with the Badgers. He threw for 5,405 yards, 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions in that stretch and Wisconsin put together a 19-13 record with him as its starter.

Much like the stat line from Miller's Florida introduction — he completed 13-of-22 passes for 180 yards against the Beavers, and the Gators' only score was a field goal in the final minute of the game — the numbers that comprise Mertz's résumé aren't overly inspiring. 

But Napier won't necessarily choose the Gators' next quarterback based on what they have, or haven't, done in the past. 

He wants to observe what each passer can do for Florida moving forward, hoping each can benefit from changes of scenery in their college careers, and isn't in any rush to project which one will be able to accomplish more. 

"I think that spring practice is a small sample size, right? We've been through [offseason] phase one and two, we're right in the middle of three, we'll have the opportunity to observe these guys during summer OTAs, training camp," Napier noted. "And at any point when we feel like it declares, we'll make that decision. 

"Bottom line is when we put the ball down, can you distribute the ball and move the team and score points? So, we're watching them every day do that." 

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