Graham Mertz starts for Florida with the plan to use DJ Lagway

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Graham Mertz started at quarterback for Florida against Texas A&M on Saturday, but there is a plan for freshman DJ Lagway.

Florida coach Billy Napier had told ESPN that Mertz would be the first quarterback on the field and that Lagway would execute certain plays on certain possessions and throughout the possession in each half.

“Both players will play. They have a great relationship,” Napier said. “The staff and the team have confidence in both players. Both have been impressive this week. That’s a positive for our entire team.”

Mertz, a redshirt senior, missed last week’s game due to a concussion he suffered in the season opener’s 41-17 home loss to Miami. Lagway stepped in for Mertz and threw for 456 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-7 win over FCS foe Samford. Lagway broke the school record for most passing yards by a freshman in a game, surpassing Chris Leak’s 268 yards against Kentucky in 2003.

Napier had been saying all week that Florida planned to use both Mertz and Lagway and that they would “make it harder to defend us.”

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Lagway was ESPN’s top-rated quarterback prospect in 2024. His successful debut as a starter last week, albeit against a weaker opponent, only further fueled the debate over the quarterback position in Florida.

Mertz finished the game against Miami with 91 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception. This was his worst statistical performance since moving to Florida from Wisconsin. Florida had trouble blocking Miami and Mertz was sacked three times. Montrell Johnson had a 71-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Other than that, the Gators managed just 190 yards on offense.

Mertz had a career year for the Gators last season, setting highs in completions (261), passing yards (2,903), touchdowns (20) and pass completion percentage (72.9), and throwing just three interceptions on 358 pass attempts.

Napier, in his third season, would add even more pressure if the Gators lose another home game this early in the season. Under his leadership, they have gone 6-10 in SEC play, with two straight losing seasons. Florida has endured a total of three straight losing seasons since Dan Mullen’s final year in 2021.

Napier said this summer that this is the best team he’s had since arriving at Florida, which has arguably the toughest schedule in the country. After playing Texas A&M, Florida travels to Mississippi State and then comes home to face UCF. The Gators then finish the season with five of their final seven games against nationally ranked teams — including four top-10 opponents — and three of those games are on the road.