Just ahead of the 2023 college football season, ESPN put together a list of the top 50 transfers and freshmen in college football, ranking the best “newcomers” in the sport before any of them played a down with their new squads.
Now that everyone has settled into their new digs, ESPN Staff Writer Tom VanHaaren is revisiting the list, and there are two Gators on the latest re-rank.
Safety Jordan Castell, who has been a starter from Day 1, is in the No. 46 spot and quarterback Graham Mertz, who transferred from Wisconsin, is No. 47 on the list. Both were unranked on the list in the preseason
Castell was the No. 139 overall recruit on the ESPN 300 and looks like the future leader of the secondary. He’s one of four Division I freshmen safeties with a defensive rating above 70.0 and is the second-best pass-rushing safety in his class so far, according to PFF.
“Castell was an important addition to Florida’s 2023 recruiting class as the staff was looking for help on defense,” VanHaaren wrote. “Castell was the No. 10 safety in the class. He has played in all seven games this season, starting six and is second on the team in total tackles with 32. He has 1.5 tackles for a loss and a pass breakup in his first season for the Gators.”
Mertz joined the team via the transfer portal over the offseason, and even the most hardcore Gators fans found it hard to believe that he would be among the conference’s best signal callers. But eight weeks into the season, Mertz is on pace for a career year and seems like the most reliable piece of the offense.
“Mertz has improved his numbers, completing 76.2% of his passes, good for No. 3 among all FBS quarterbacks, and has 1,897 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. One of the more impressive stats for Mertz is that he leads all quarterbacks in off-target percentage with just 4.6% of his attempts off-target. At this point in the season last year, Mertz completed 63.5% of his passes and had thrown for 1,427 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions.”
There is one Gator who made the preseason list but is no longer on it. Wide receiver Eugene “Tre” Wilson III rounded out the top 50 coming into 2023, but missing a few games to injury seems to have overshadowed a strong start to his career.
When healthy, Wilson is one of Mertz’s favorite (and most reliable) targets. If there is an end-of-the-year update to these rankings, Wilson could find a way back on.
Also worth mentioning is former Florida defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland at the No. 22 spot on the list. He transferred to Virginia Tech over the offseason and has thrived so far as a Hokie. He has seven sacks and 25 pressure so far this season.
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.