How concerning is Florida’s QB situation?
The Florida Gators must replace a quarterback who was just picked fourth overall in the NFL draft, and the options right now are Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz and Jack Miller III.
Neither wowed fans during the spring game, and ESPN has both Mertz and Miller in the 5A tier, which is defined as players with a high ceiling and a low floor. Other players in the group include Texas A&M‘s QB corps, Texas‘ Quinn Ewers, UCLA freshman Dante Moore and former Florida commit Nick Evers, who is with Oklahoma, among others.
Some of those names could end up being great, but Florida is far from having an Anthony Richardson type under center in 2023. Mertz is expected to win the job if Billy Napier doesn’t add anyone else to the team — and it looks like he won’t.
“Against top-40 defenses last season (by defensive efficiency), Mertz completed 54% of his throws, averaged 6 yards-per-pass, threw five TDs to seven picks and had a 49.1 Total QBR,” ESPN staff writer David Hale wrote. “Wisconsin finished 0-5 in those games.”
Losing Richardson after just 13 starts undoubtedly hurt Florida, but no one is turning down that kind of money. Florida could be in a better position heading into the 2023 season under center, but there is just as much opportunity for Mertz and Miller to boom as there is to bust.
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