The official opening weekend of college football is nearly here after a few schools got an early start in Week 0. With the summer practice and scrimmage schedule now well in the rearview mirror, the fans and media alike have a more clear view of what to expect from their favorite teams this fall.
However, not every question has been answered — and some will require the entire season to resolve. One program that is dealing with a changing of the guard at the quarterback position is Florida football, which waited until the end of fall practice before anointing the former Wisconsin Badgers passer [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] as the starter for the regular-season opener despite it being clear that he was the top choice all summer.
Nonetheless, Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson included Mertz and the Gators among teams with quarterback battles to keep an eye on this season. Here is what he had to offer on the situation.
The Gators added Mertz in the offseason as a transfer from Wisconsin, and after an NIL fiasco involving Rashada not ever showing up on campus to enroll at Florida despite signing, it was fairly clear Mertz would be the guy all offseason. Coach Billy Napier put any lingering doubt to rest early in preseason camp.
Florida opens its 2023 schedule on the road against Utah on Thursday, Aug. 31, with a kickoff time of 8 p.m. EDT.
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