Florida football quarterback Graham Mertz suffered a concussion in Week 1 against Miami and had to enter concussion protocol, but he is still not cleared to play according to head coach Billy Napier.
“There’s one more step he’s got to go through,” Napier said to the media on Monday. “So I think today…this is his non-contact practice and then we’ll have another punch list to go through here.”
The goal is for Mertz to be ready to go by Saturday when the Gators play the Texas A&M Aggies.
True freshman DJ Lagway has been taking Mertz’s place as the Gators’ starting quarterback and after a record-setting performance against Samford last Saturday, fans have been giving high praise to the former five-star prospect.
But if Mertz is healthy and ready to go, what will be the situation with Lagway? Well, Napier says that the plan is to use both quarterbacks.
“It’s a blessing to have two really good quarterbacks…We intend to use both of them,” Napier addressed.
Napier went on to say, “Look, we’re going to do what’s in the best interest of our team. I think both these players can make our team better and I think that’s what we intend to do.”
Up next for the Gators
Florida will play at home in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium against Texas A&M (1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 14. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC.
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