Florida announces Graham Mertz as starter for Week 1 game at Utah

The Utes now know who they will be preparing for in their Week 1 game

Utah's Week 1 game against Florida is 20 days away, and while the Utes are still unclear on who they will have behind center we learned on Friday who the Gators will trot out there.

As expected, Wisconsin transfer and former four-star recruit Graham Mertz was announced as the starter by head coach Billy Napier. In four years at Wisconsin, Mertz threw for over 5,400 yards, 38 touchdowns to 26 interceptions, and completed 59.5% of his passes. He showed major improvement this past season statistically, accumulating career highs in passing yards, touchdowns, and yards per attempt. 

Despite the career year, it is safe to say that he has underwhelmed during his college career, and it is extremely safe to say that he is nowhere near as dynamic of an athlete at quarterback that Anthony Richardson was.

Richardson hurt the Utes with his arm completing 17-of-24 passes for 168 yards, but it was his legs and ability to avoid pressure that ultimately hurt Utah the most. He rushed for 106 yards on 9.6 yards per carry, while adding three touchdowns with his legs. Mertz on the other hand has recorded -21 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground while taking 46 sacks in the past two years.

According to ESPN's matchup predictor, Utah has over a 70% chance to win their season and home opener against Mertz and the Gators.