UF QB Graham Mertz’s longtime coach says he’ll finally flourish with Gators

When it comes to Graham Mertz, Justin Hoover is a coach, mentor, friend and among the biggest fans of Florida’s new quarterback.

A relationship established when Mertz was a seventh-grader in Overland Park, Kan., engendered fierce loyalty from Hoover along with steadfast belief in his star pupil’s abilities. A front-row seat to Mertz’s career under center provided a singular perspective on a career featuring a state championship, countless scholarships offers and his celebrated signing at Wisconsin.

But during Mertz’s four years in Madison, the Badgers lost their status as Big Ten behemoth and he too often lost his way. The coach who knows now him best predicts a career renaissance in Gainesville, where Mertz is expected to earn the starting role over Jack Miller III once the Gators open preseason practices Monday.

“This change of scenery refreshed him and re-energized him, but it also gave him some perspective,” Hoover told the Orlando Sentinel. “He’s going to be a better player for it, there’s no doubt in my mind. I know he feels like he’s had an opportunity to grow in the six months that he’s been there.”

Mertz arrived in January to as much consternation as fanfare given his inconsistent play at Wisconsin. Second-year UF coach Billy Napier saw an experienced, talented veteran to run his offense.

Hoover said Mertz, a redshirt junior, has never been more comfortable as a collegian.

“One of the things that really held Graham back at Wisconsin was the inability to get into a rhythm,” Hoover said. “You don’t throw it until it’s third-and-medium or third-and-long, and that puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback. Florida will have the ability to be really balanced on run-pass. It’s not always just a pass down or distance or situation.

“That’ll help them kind of keep the defense honest, which just makes the decision-making process easier for the quarterback.”

While former Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst’s grind-it-out attack might not have brought out the best in Mertz, Napier’s offense did not maximize the talents of future NFL first-round pick Anthony Richardson.

The 2022 Gators finished a respectable 37th nationally in total offense yet 70th in passing efficiency — five spots behind Mertz’s Badgers.

Hoover expects Mertz to thrive in UF’s scheme because of his accuracy and football IQ. Napier’s system simplifies a quarterback’s pre-snap checklist to promote faster post-snap response.

“If I were to talk about this offense from what I know of it so far, it has answers,” Hoover said. “As a quarterback, if we have answers we can make better decisions. When I say it has answers, protection is set if we get this look; this is how we would check the protection. It’s not a multiple choice question and it’s either or, and or.

“Now all of a sudden it doesn’t mean that we have to change the formation and change the protection and do this. It allows the offense as a whole to run faster, which is a lot more of what I think Graham’s style is suited for.”

Discussing the quarterback position’s complexities are the backbone of Hoover’s Spin It Quarterback Academy in Kansas City, Mo.,

Meanwhile, fans want wins and offensive fireworks.

Gator Nation and college football observers are not yet convinced Mertz is the quarterback who’ll elevate a program coming off consecutive losing seasons for the first time since the late 1970s. SEC media predict the Gators to finish 5th in the SEC East.

“I think better football is ahead of him than what we’ve seen,” SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers told the Orlando Sentinel. “I’m curious. Is he the same player we saw at Wisconsin?”

Mertz’s vast body of work in the Big Ten coincided with the Badgers’ decline — and Chryst’s eventual firing — after 63 wins during the six seasons prior to him assuming the starting role. After throwing 5 touchdowns and completing a school-record 20 of 21 passes to rout Illinois during his starting debut in 2020, Mertz contracted COVID-19 and rarely performed at a similar level during his ensuing 31 starts — 13 of them losses.

Despite his affinity for Mertz, Hoover doesn’t point fingers.

“It’s equal across the board,” Hoover said. “He knows there were some throws that he’d like back or some decisions that he’d like to have back. It’s not just on Wisconsin.

“But this is the first time they really had a quarterback like Graham. I don’t know that they really knew how to use him properly early on.”

Mertz arrived in Madison ranked ESPN’s No. 1 pocket passer and No. 21 overall recruit in the 2019 class. Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame offered scholarships to the former Elite 11 finalist and All-American Bowl MVP.

Never had Wisconsin secured a quarterback with Mertz’s credentials, including Russell Wilson, but the glowing resumé did not correlate to results. Mertz was 19-13 as a starter, completing 59.5% of his throws for 4,405 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.

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A lackluster showing April 13 during Florida’s spring game — a 10-7 slough — did nothing to allay concerns Mertz is destined to underachieve.

Hoover himself read little into a scrimmage dominated by new coordinator Austin Armstrong’s aggressive defense. The exercise ultimately was a chance for Mertz to execute Napier’s scheme in a game setting.

“ ‘Did I get the protection right? Did I get to my running back when he was there instead of forcing a throw?’ ” Hoover said. “For him, it’s an opportunity to gauge his decision-making. I just don’t take a lot from the spring game and say, ‘Yes, he can do it,’ or ‘No, he can’t,’ or ‘This isn’t what we were looking for.’ ”

Whether Mertz, 22, is able to take full flight and maximize his potential won’t be from lack of effort.

He and Hoover, 42, talk at least once a week, analyze video of Mertz’s throwing sessions and often FaceTime when he’s training in the Gators’ indoor practice facility. The two have trained together back in Kansas City for around 20 hours since Mertz transferred in January.

Napier and Ryan O’Hara, UF’s offensive analyst in charge of quarterbacks, have welcomed Hoover into the fold.

“It’s probably different for some schools,” Hoover said. “Some are maybe a little harder to get access to the players. They recognize there’s a long relationship, so we have kind of our own language that we speak when we’re together.

“So there’s a comfort level that I can create.”

Hoover said he doesn’t offer input on Xs and Os but focuses on the position’s fine points. After all, no one knows better what makes Mertz tick.

When the two met, Mertz with big hands, long limbs and an athletic lineage, including two sisters, Lauren and Mya, who played college basketball. Yet Mertz’s single-minded focus stood out.

“Even then he was very in tune and almost obsessed with success at the quarterback position,” Hoover said. “He loved it, so I knew he was going to work at it.”

Now standing 6-foot-3, 218 pounds, Mertz maintains the same mentality. He also has something to prove.

“You get almost a … new lease on life,” Napier said. “You come in, you’re experienced, you’ve got a chip on your shoulder, you’re there with purpose.”

For more than a decade now, Hoover and Mertz have been on a mission. The next step in their journey resumes this week. Hoover said he’s certain the best is yet to come.

“We’re gonna see the best version of Graham over time,” he said. “He’ll win those guys over, win the fan base over.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com