Florida QB Recruit Ryan Montgomery Previews Spring Visit Stretch

Aiming to make his college commitment in the near future, 2025 quarterback recruit Ryan Montgomery lays out his plan for spring visits, including a trip to Florida.

Florida is one of three programs Findlay (Ohio) High class of 2025 quarterback Ryan Montgomery plans to visit on his spring recruiting tour, his father, Mike, shared with All Gators on Thursday.

Montgomery will trek to the Universities of Georgia on March 16, Florida on April 6 and South Carolina on April 20. 

On these trips, which ideally will be followed by his college decision shortly thereafter, Montgomery hopes to strengthen the bond he has developed with the coaching staffs that "have recruited me the longest and have been the most consistent with communication," the quarterback described in an interview with All Gators. 

He'll also keenly examine how each school, its coaches and players operate in the practice and positional meeting settings. He intends to pair these experiences with his knowledge of the resources each program has to offer, on and off the field. 

"To see practice is big, in my opinion," Montgomery said.

From what he's gathered already, Montgomery has developed an appreciation for the Gators' approach to coaching the signal-caller position. 

Florida's quarterbacks are overseen by head coach Billy Napier and analyst Ryan O'Hara, who, alongside co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Russ Callaway, serve as Montgomery's primary recruiters to UF. 

The trio of coaches have prioritized Montgomery throughout the 2025 cycle, making their interest in his services known for some time. Montgomery received his scholarship offer from Florida in April 2023 and has visited UF's campus three times previously. 

"The attention to detail on quarterback development [stands out at Florida]," Montgomery said. "They are confident I would be a great fit for what they are building down there." 

Florida's scholarship quarterback room currently consists of redshirt senior starter Graham Mertz, prized class of 2024 recruit DJ Lagway and redshirt junior Colorado State transfer Clay Millen. Mertz will exhaust his college eligibility this season, eventually opening a spot Montgomery could fill if he ultimately picks the Gators. 

A former three-year starter for Wisconsin, Mertz transferred to Florida in 2023 and reached new heights as a college passer. He set single-season career highs with a completion percentage of 72.9, 2,903 passing yards and 20 touchdowns last year. 

The consensus No. 14 quarterback in the class of 2025 according to 247Sports, Montgomery has completed 65.6% of his passing attempts for 7,584 yards, 89 touchdowns and 22 interceptions over three varsity seasons with Findlay. 

Montgomery broke former NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's Findlay school record for passing yards in a single game during the 2023 season, with 491 against Sylvania (Ohio) Southview. 

Stay tuned to All Gators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports Illustrated on Facebook.