Gators 2-QB System is Good for Long and Short Term Gains

The Florida Gators have a long history of using two quarterbacks over the course of a game, and it's the right time to do it again.

Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz throws DJ Lagway looks on. / Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA

The cliched football adage "if you have two quarterbacks, you have none" thankfully fell on inattentive ears in Gainesville. With a sterling history of deploying multiple quarterbacks, the Florida Gators should visit that successful well again. 

Freshman phenom DJ Lagway appears like the heir apparent to Graham Mertz. With that said, why not let the freshmen see some field time in 2024. While this situation, if not handled properly by coaches could end up in a volatile situation. The reasons behind Lagway seeing the field are numerous, and all of them will help the team right now and in the future. History rests on the side of the two-quarterback system.

Wuerffel/Dean

Florida fans that may sport gray hair and need reading glasses may clearly remember the combination of Danny Wuerffel and Terry Dean. Playing two quarterbacks definitely helped them. Let's rewind a bit to September 11, 1993. Wuerffel, the highly-touted standout from Fort Walton Beach, finds Chris Doering in the endzone with five seconds left to defeat Kentucky. 

While Wuerffel went on to become an iconic quarterback in team history, Dean ran the team, until Wuerffel stepped in full time the following year. Steve Spurrier made Dean his first Gators recruit. However, inconsistent play opened the door. 

Now, on the field, the transition looked seamless. Off the field, Dean languished behind the new starter. That part of the transition did not feel right. At the same time, Spurrier began to craft the team in his image. Wuerffel left Gainesville with a degree, a flatbed full of individual awards and a national championship. 

Leak/Tebow

Chris Leak was a three-year starter with 65 touchdowns to his name. Florida won with him, but enter Tim Tebow, then a blue-chip recruit that needed field time. As a freshman, Florida let Tebow get his legs under him. He repaid their faith in him, amassing 11, 213 yards and 101 total touchdowns.  Leak was still the starter, but the freshman played a key role in Florida's 2006 BCS Championship.

To his credit, much like Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer shifted the quarterback situation with skill. Tebow went on to claim a national title, Heisman and the undying loyalty of every Gators fan. This duo will be remembered as the most successful back-to-back starting quarterbacks in program history.

Reality

Graham Mertz is neither Wuerffel, Dean, Leak or Tebow. Instead, he's a transfer looking to play well, win games and possibly improve draft stock. Meanwhile, DJ Lagway, from an athletic standpoint, is the next great homegrown Florida quarterback. 

To his credit, Mertz has been welcoming of Lagway since he arrived on campus in the spring.

“He is a fantastic human being,” Mertz said of Lagway at SEC Media Days on Wednesday. “He cares about his people, he’s a passionate football player, but I think from the start he’s done a great job of coming in, learning the playbook, asking questions and truly growing.”

As a result, if the team wants a productive 2025, then the freshman needs time to play in 2024. Talent should not burn a year just holding a clipboard. The dual-threat dynamic forces defenses to react and that pressure will make a defender overreact, forget discipline and pursuit angle, allowing him to exploit errors. DJ Lagway looks to have the feeling of the fanbase and history in his corner.