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Graham Mertz excited to lead Gators into 2024 season

Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz on the schedule, Billy Napier, and highly touted freshman quarterback DJ Lagway.

Bennett Solomon

Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz speaking at SEC Media Days
Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz speaking at SEC Media Days / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports
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Florida Gators football was one of four programs that had representatives on Day 3 of SEC Media Days in Dallas, Texas. 

Head coach Billy Napier, quarterback Graham Mertz, running back Montrell Johnson Jr. and linebacker Shemar James all spoke to the media. 

Mertz returns for his final season of college football in 2024. The transfer from Wisconsin had a strong 2023 season, recording career-highs in passing touchdowns, passing yards, completions, completion percentage, passing yards per game and efficiency. 

The redshirt senior threw for 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns and 263.9 yards per game. 

Now in his second year in The Swamp, Florida’s season is headlined by the returning quarterback, a highly-touted freshman in DJ Lagway, Billy Napier’s job security and having to play one of the toughest schedules in the nation. 

“I’m just excited to be back, man,” Mertz said. “This whole offseason has been fantastic and the guys are all striving for one thing. We just want to win.” 

After coming off of a disappointing 5-7 season where the Gators were unable to qualify for a bowl game, the team will face an even tougher schedule, especially in the second half of the season. Florida is expected to face eight opponents who are projected in the top 25 to start the season. 

And UF’s opponents in November look like a nightmare. It’ll face Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State to close the season. Four of those teams finished in the top 10. 

Despite the tough schedule, Mertz is confident in his head coach and said the program is focused on the same goal. 

“This team we have right now, they're passionate, they care about each other and they want to win and they're fully bought into not only the scheme but Coach Napier's vision of what this team could be,” Mertz said. 

Lagway, the 2023 Gatorade National Player of the Year, enrolled at Florida in the spring. He’ll experience his first college game against the Miami Hurricanes Aug. 31 when the Gators open the season in The Swamp. 

Although the freshman is not expected to start, Mertz has loved how he’s been learning and how he is as a person. 

“He is a fantastic human being,” Mertz said. “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.”

A key loss the Gators suffered this offseason was running back Trevor Etienne transferring to the University of Georgia. 

One of UF’s biggest rivals, the Bulldogs are expected to be a force in the SEC once again. And they’ll have the former Gator being one of the main workforces in the backfield. For some, it may increase the intensity of the rivalry. For Mertz, it’s all love for Etienne. 

“Trevor’s my guy,” the quarterback said. “In this game, as a competitor you want to win. And I know Trevor wants to win and we want to win so I have nothing against Trevor or despise him at all.” 

Mertz has played all sorts of opponents. He’s played against teams from all sorts of conferences, playing a Big Ten schedule with Wisconsin. After transferring to Florida, his first game was against Utah, who’s now apart of the Big 12. He’ll get his first taste of action ACC against Miami. Mertz was injured when the Gators played Florida State in the Swamp last year, 

But there’s nothing that compares to the SEC. And with Oklahoma and Texas joining the conference this season, competition will only get more intense. Mertz said you can only respect that. 

“I think the cool part about this wonderful league is just across the board the amount of passion the fan bases have, the players have, the coaches have for the university. I think that you go -- anywhere you go and you walk into a facility, or for me a stadium, an opposing team's stadium, you can feel that,” he said. "You can feel the history and the passion,” he said. 

Mertz and the Gators open the season against the Hurricanes Aug. 31 at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. SEC Network will be in town for the game during Week 1, and Florida fans will be eager to see how the 2024 season begins. 

There will be immense pressure on Napier to improve from last season and hopefully get to the six-win mark in order to make a bowl game. Regardless, Napier’s clock could be ticking but Florida will be playing football soon. 

“Anytime you can simplify this game and realize that I am -- myself and my entire team, these coaches, we're so blessed to put on this uniform, play this game,” Mertz said. “So every time we have an opportunity to go play it, it's my job to respect that opportunity.”

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Bennett Solomon

BENNETT SOLOMON