Florida's Mertz, Kentucky's Leary Headline SEC's First 2023 Transfer QB Clash

Transfer quarterbacks Graham Mertz and Devin Leary each have impressed with new teams in 2023. Those SEC squads, Florida and Kentucky, face off in Week 5.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida evaluated approximately 24 quarterbacks in the winter transfer portal period before securing the commitment of formerly Wisconsin passer Graham Mertz, head coach Billy Napier shared in February. 

It is likely, albeit unconfirmed, that the Gators will face one of those signal-callers in Week 5: Devin Leary, the Wildcats' new starting quarterback following Will Levis' offseason departure for the pros. 

Napier, at the very least, made clear on Wednesday that he's done homework on the Gators' opposing arm of the week. 

"Devin is a fantastic player, man," Napier described Leary. "He had a great career at [North Carolina] State, thrived under multiple coordinators. I think that he's got arm talent, you know, and he's an above-average athlete. He can escape, he can extend and I see no drop off." 

Florida recognized its own need to scout starting-caliber, veteran quarterbacks in the portal upon Anthony Richardson's Dec. 5, 2022 declaration for the NFL Draft. Leary on the same day became available via college football's free agency, after a five-season stint with the Wolfpack that concluded in a campaign-ending injury in 2022, a torn pectoral muscle in his right shoulder.

Florida seemed to first take an interest in Mertz, hosting the former Badgers' three-year starter on a recruiting visit on Dec. 10. Leary proceeded to make his first known transfer visit to Kentucky on Dec. 13, and interestingly, Mertz reportedly visited the Wildcats in the days following Leary's trip to Lexington, having already toured UF by that point. 

But it was Leary who committed to Kentucky, a week after his tour on Dec. 20. Mertz pledged to Florida the day after, Dec. 21. 

Both quarterbacks have gotten off to strong starts with their new teams and in their Southeastern Conference debuts, with Mertz's Gators sitting at No. 22 in the AP Top 25 at 3-1 (1-0 SEC) and Leary's Wildcats receiving 41 votes in the poll this week at 4-0 (1-0 SEC).

While Mertz's showing has warranted the ample praise it has received — his 78% completion percentage leads the conference and is nearly four points higher than the next quarterback's — one could argue Leary in his own right is deserving of more recognition. Napier is willing to offer it.

"[Leary] can throw it all over the park," Napier said Monday. 

Despite his throwing shoulder requiring surgery roughly 10 months before his Kentucky debut, Leary's presence paired with offensive coordinator Liam Coen's return to the program from the Los Angeles Rams has transformed the Wildcats' offense into a pass-heavy attack, removed from its well-documented ground-and-pound philosophy of the past. 

Leary does not complete passes at a rate near that of Mertz, at 59.3% on the year, but he pushes the ball down the field far more often. Leary's average depth of target is 11.6 yards, per Pro Football Focus, good for third in the SEC among starting quarterbacks. Comparatively, Mertz's aDoT ranks No. 14 at 6.4 yards. 

Leary's nine touchdown passes also stand at No. 3 in the conference. 

8.9% of Leary's throws have been dropped by Kentucky's receivers, too, a mark that ranks second-highest in the SEC and obviously hurts his completion percentage. That is not to discredit the Wildcats' receiving corps otherwise — five members of the group have caught at least one pass of 40+ yards this season. 

"Certainly Liam's done a good job," said Napier. "[Leary is] in his first year in the new system, and I think he's gotten a little bit better each week."

With risks come rewards, and Florida could stand to benefit defensively on Saturday from Leary's risk-taking. He's thrown the second-most interceptions in the SEC in 2023 with five, but Kentucky has managed to overcome the turnovers by scoring at a rate it has not often matched or come close to in Mark Stoops' 11-year tenure as head coach, averaging 38 points per game through four weeks.

Florida, meanwhile, banks on Mertz's efficiency in tandem with an imposing run game to move the ball, much like the offense Kentucky has deployed in years past. 

The results have been somewhat inconsistent, as Utah shut down Florida's running backs in Week 1 and Charlotte limited the Gators to one touchdown over five red zone appearances in Week 4. It is difficult to fault the quarterback averaging a passing line of 21-of-27 per game for those shortcomings, though.  

Consider Stoops impressed by Mertz's overall showing in a new scheme thus far, in particular, his ability to minimize turnovers. 

“He’s been very good with the football. They have very few turnovers in general. I want to say he maybe has one,” Stoops said about Mertz and Florida's offense on Monday. “He’s been very efficient, very smart getting rid of the football and taking care of the ball. In running their offense, he’s been very efficient. He’s playing very well.” 

The SEC's first head-to-head battle between starting quarterbacks who transferred into the conference this season, Florida vs. Kentucky will kickoff at noon ET on Saturday, Sept. 30, at Kroger Field in Lexington.

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