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Florida 2023 Spring Camp Notebook: QB Focus Entering First Scrimmage

All Gators' notes and observations from day eight of Florida Gators' 2023 spring camp, as the team prepared for its first intrasquad scrimmage of the season.

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Photo (left to right): Jack Miller III, Graham Mertz, Xzavier Henderson; Credit: Zach Goodall

Florida is back on the practice field, with 2023 spring camp underway ahead of head coach Billy Napier's second season with the Gators.

All Gators serves up its notes and observations from the eighth day of spring camp below, with our focus on the quarterbacks participating in individual drills entering the team's first scrimmage of the season. 

Check out our previous 2023 spring camp notebooks: 

Focus on the quarterbacks

The quarterbacks sprung into action immediately following a brief stretching period to begin the media viewing session on Tuesday. With the first scrimmage looming, All Gators decided to glance at the scholarship signal-callers as they entered their first live game scenario of the spring season. 

Namely, due to the limited window media receives to analyze each passer's performance, we wanted to see the demeanor of each piece in the room.

The three scholarship quarterbacks looked poised as they warmed up with tosses to wide receivers and tight ends on a variety of short to intermediate-level routes. Most balls came out crisply and, despite the occasional misplacement, the connection from passer to pass catcher was evident as balls rarely hit the turf.

Graham Mertz, the expected starting signal caller, was the player of focus within the larger umbrella of the quarterbacks. From what was shown, the Wisconsin transfer made timely throws both over the middle and toward the boundary. 

He showed an evident liking for his tight ends, as he sent two well-placed balls to Arlis Boardingham (angle route) and Tony Livingston (out route). 

Mertz hit receiver Xzavier Henderson on a slightly extended out-route as well. The ball was placed a bit high, but well enough outside and in-stride where only Henderson could make a play, and that he did, with a bobbling grab at the sideline before cutting up the field.

He did position a slot-level curl on the inside at one point, susceptible to breaking defensive backs, showing some variance in accuracy. 

Jack Miller III and Max Brown produced equally solid outings in the routes on-air session, putting several throws on the money on outs, slants, curls, hooks and angle routes.

Brown, noticeably, put extra juice on the ball to display arguably the best arm strength when working outside of the numbers of the trio on the day. But, it was Miller who came away with the clip of the day, as he spun an outside curl route to freshman receiver Aidan Mizell on the money past the numbers.

The group was not observed making throws more than roughly 15 yards in length. 

Overall, the quarterbacks looked prepared to take on their first game-like reps of the spring on Tuesday evening. The trio moved through its throwing lines with a good pace and command of the operation while Napier, the program's offensive play-caller and quarterbacks coach, observed the drill. 

Participation report

All Gators' participation report is modified from its typical structure for scrimmages, splitting the list in two to specify players that were seen in no-contact jerseys and those who were not observed during the media viewing portion of practice.

Participating in no-contact jerseys 

  • OL Jalen Farmer
  • LB Justin Pelic
  • CB Devin Moore

Not observed in attendance during media viewing window

* indicates absence was expected due to prior injury

  • WR Ja'Quavion Fraziars
  • TE Keon Zipperer*
  • TE Jonathan Odom*
  • OL Micah Mazzccua*
  • OL Kamryn Waites*
  • EDGE Jack Pyburn
  • LB Derek Wingo* 
  • LB Teradja Mitchell
  • DB Jadarrius Perkins 

Fraziars, Pyburn, Mitchell and Perkins were additions to the participation report ahead of Saturday's practice as they were not witnessed on the field during the media viewing window. Wingo has been limited to off-field work in recent practice sessions while recovering from two offseason procedures while Zipperer, Odom, Mazzccua and Waites have been sidelined with various injuries for extended periods of time. 

Of the group, only Waites was present on the field during the viewing window, seen using a scooter while recovering from an offseason Achilles injury. 

Clip of the day 

All Gators' clip of the day features quarterback Jack Miller tossing a throw to Aidan Mizell on about an eight-yard curl route. Miller made the pass immediately out of a one-step drop, utilizing a quick and compact throwing motion to deliver a tight spiral as Mizell was getting out of his route break.

Despite the ball being in the air as Mizell got his eyes on it, the freshman receiver was quick to get his hands up, haul in the catch, turn back toward the sideline and get upfield in near-perfect stride.

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