Tag: Graham Mertz

Florida QB opts into EA College Football Video Game NIL usage

Graham Mertz has opted into the NIL partnership with EA Sports and will appear as the Florida Gators quarterback in the franchise reboot.

On Saturday, Florida quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] confirmed he would appear in the upcoming EA College Football 25 video game, which is among the most-anticipated sports titles of all time.

Mertz and the EA Sports college account posted in collaboration on Instagram confirming the partnership. EA Sports announced that more than 11,000 college football players would have a chance to earn money — roughly $600 — in exchange for NIL rights.

“Players would be in the game as long as they are on a roster, whether they transfer or not, and will be compensated on a yearly basis based on those factors. Players also could opt out of the game when future editions of the game are released if they so choose.

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Aside from players, ESPN’s top broadcast team of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit have confirmed they will appear in the game. Herbstreit was the main analyst for the original series, which was discontinued in 2013.

Other ESPN personalities, such as Kevin Connors, Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, [autotag]Jesse Palmer[/autotag] and David Pollack have confirmed they will appear in the game, too.

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SEC quarterback rankings ahead of 2024 spring football

Where does Jackson Arnold rank among SEC quarterbacks heading into spring ball?

As the SEC expands to 16 teams in 2024, the conference is stacked at the quarterback position. From former five-star prospects to 2024 Heisman contenders to intriguing transfer additions, there will be some fantastic quarterback play on display this fall in the SEC.

Seven of the last nine Heisman winners have come from Oklahoma and the SEC. Two of those seven were non-quarterbacks, DeVonta Smith and Derrick Henry.

Much of what will determine which teams emerge as SEC title and College Football Playoff contenders will be on the shoulders of the quarterbacks who will lead their team in 2024.

There are some quarterback competitions that need to take place, but here’s our pre-spring ball SEC quarterback rankings.

 

Wisconsin football’s all-time leading passers

Wisconsin football’s all-time leading passers

The Wisconsin football program is not commonly known for its quarterback play.

It’s no Alabama, which has recently sent Bryce Young, Mac Jones and Tua Tagovailoa to the NFL. Or Clemson with Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence. Or even Ohio State with C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields and others.

The Badgers produce linebackers and running backs, plus the occasional tight end.

Related: Win totals released for Wisconsin, every Big Ten team in 2024 football season

But the narrative surrounding the program doesn’t mean there hasn’t been good-to-great quarterback play at the school. Russell Wilson in 2011 obviously rings a bell, but there are also numerous terrific years including Jack Coan in 2019, Alex Hornibrook in 2017 and Brooks Bollinger in 2002.

Related: Wisconsin football’s all-time leading rushers

There is a recent addition to the list of the program’s all-time passing leaders, which prompted us to update the official list:

Billy Napier provides injury update on QB Graham Mertz

Graham Mertz went down with a fractured collarbone in November, but Billy Napier has little doubt that his quarterback will be ready for spring camp.

Florida quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] went down with a fractured collarbone against Missouri last year, preventing him from playing the final game of the season against Florida State. Mertz announced his return to the Swamp over the offseason, now we know when he’ll be back on the field for the Gators.

Head coach Billy Napier provided a critical update on Mertz Wednesday during his national signing day press conference.

“Graham will definitely be ready to go,” Napier said when asked about Mertz’s availability for spring camp.

The Gators begin camp on March 7 and finish on April 13 with the Orange and Blue Game. Hopefully, Mertz picks up right where he left off in 2023 as one of the most accurate passers in the country.

The bad news is that Napier couldn’t say as much for Shemar James, Justus Boone or Cam Carroll. Boone and Carroll are both coming off ACL tear suffered during the fall, and James’ season ended against Georgia with a dislocated kneecap that required surgery.

“I think some of those others that you mentioned are to be determined,” he said. “We’ll keep you updated, but Graham will be ready.”

James is the heart of the defense and was projected to return for spring practice at the time of his injury. Now that Mertz is in the clear, he’s the next big injury focus on the roster.

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Graham Mertz among nation’s best transfer QBs, per ESPN

Not a lot went right for Florida in 2023, but the Gators nailed it in the transfer portal bringing in quarterback Graham Mertz.

Although the 2023 college football season was a disappointment for most of Gator Nation, Florida quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] provided at least one silver lining with a great first year in Gainesville.

ESPN ranked Mertz the fourth-best transfer quarterback in the country on Wednesday. Senior writer Adam Rittenberg went back and graded out the top 50 transfer quarterbacks in the country this season. He gave Mertz and the Gators an A-minus.

“Florida coach Billy Napier can’t point to a ton of success stories in his two seasons, but Mertz should be at the top of his list,” Rittenberg wrote. “Mertz arrived at Florida as a career 59.5% passer, unable to take the next step in his development despite ample opportunities with Wisconsin. Florida stumbled to a 5-7 season, but Mertz settled in seamlessly with Napier’s offense, completing 72.9% of his passes (No. 4 nationally) with no game at below 61.9%.

“Although the Gators faded with five straight losses to end the season, Mertz maintained his progress, recording multiple touchdown passes in six of his final seven games before missing the finale against Florida State with an injury.”

Rittenberg also reminded readers that this year’s Heisman Trophy ceremony featured a trio of transfer quarterbacks in Year 2 at their new home. With Mertz returning to Florida next season, expectations are going to be set high after a career year in completions, efficiency, passing yards and touchdowns.

It’s worth noting that Mertz had a B-plus halfway through the year. He only improved against the stronger half of the schedule, so there’s reason to believe that development continues against what might be the toughest schedule in the country next season.

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ESPN calls for Florida to play QB DJ Lagway as a freshman

Florida is bringing in a potential generational talent at quarterback next season, and ESPN says Billy Napier has to find time to play him.

Even with Graham Mertz returning, the Florida Gators have to give the ball to [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] sometime during the 2024 college football season.

That’s the conclusion ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill came to while assessing how well each quarterback on the ESPN 300 fits with their new team.

“It doesn’t matter that he’s a freshman,” Luginbill wrote. “The Gators have to play this guy. Expect to see similar growth from him that we saw from Milroe at Alabama this fall.

“Florida’s schedule is brutal, but coach Billy Napier can use Lagway’s arm and legs to develop him. They’ll take their lumps along the way but will be better for it in the future.”

Florida’s offense was limited yet efficient with Mertz at the helm in 2023. The Wisconsin transfer is an accurate passer who finished the season with a career-high 2,903 yards, but Lagway is the future.

Head coach Billy Napier stated that Lagway will see the field as a freshman and have plays/drives drawn up for him, but it is unclear how many snaps Napier has in mind. There’s always the option to limit his playing time so that Lagway can redshirt and retain an extra year of eligibility while still getting his feet wet.

Lagway finished the recruiting cycle ranked No. 17 overall on the ESPN 300. A consensus five-star talent, it would be coaching malpractice for Napier to keep Lagway on the bench all year.

Mertz has the experience and Lagway has the arm power/legs to be special in the SEC. Finding the right blend of both players’ talents is the only way Florida finds its way to a successful 2024 season.

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Former Wisconsin WR reunites with his former quarterback at an SEC power

Former Wisconsin WR reunites with former Badger QB at SEC power

Former Wisconsin wide receiver Chimere Dike committed to Florida earlier today. He entered the transfer portal earlier this month, and now reunites with former Badger quarterback Graham Mertz.

Dike and Mertz played together at Wisconsin from 2020-2022, with Mertz transferring to Florida before last season. The two connected for 78 receptions, 1150 yards and eight touchdowns in those three seasons.

The two will look to help turn around a Florida team that went 5-7 in 2023 and missed a bowl game. It will not be an easy feat, however, as the Gators have games against Miami, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State on the schedule.

Wisconsin moves into 2024 with a wide receiver group led by Will Pauling, C.J. Williams and Quincy Burroughs. There will be some heavy lifting required to fill the veteran role left open by Dike’s departure.

Florida’s starting quarterback gives update on injured collarbone

The broken collarbone is not expected to slow down Mertz’s preparation for spring camp.

One of the biggest blows to Florida football’s 2023 campaign was the loss of starting quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] to an injury in the second half of the Gators’ loss to the Missouri Tigers.

While it was somewhat fortunate that it happened in the penultimate game of the fall schedule, the redshirt junior was the heart and soul of the offense. Sitting out what might have been a winnable game against the Florida State Seminoles in Week 13 may have just added salt to the wound.

X-rays confirmed that Mertz suffered a non-displaced fractured left collarbone that night in Columbia, Missouri, which has a positive prognosis as far as his recovery is concerned. Given that he avoided surgery, his horizon for clearance is now somewhere in the six-week range, suggesting that he will be healthy enough for spring practices barring any setbacks.

“There’s always a general timeline for collarbones,” Mertz told Swamp247. “I think for me, I’m more focused on just my day-to-day, how I’m feeling and how the recovery is coming along. But everything is on schedule and I’m feeling great. So, it should be just a normal timeline.”

The incumbent starting quarterback also sees the longitudinal path to recovery as well.

“The big thing is, if you take care of your body – a broken bone, it’s inevitable. At some point, it’s going to happen when you play a sport. The guys that were older than me at Wisconsin, they took care of their bodies. They showed you how to recover, how to prep for a game,” he added.

“That’s one thing that really helped in my development: how to stay available. That’s one thing. You get dinged up every week, but you gotta prioritize your body.”

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Florida’s starting quarterback returning with a winning mindset

The Florida Gators are losing team members left-and-right to the transfer portal, but Mertz announced he’s sticking around and wants to make the most of next season.

While the Florida Gators lose team members left and right to the transfer portal, there is one prominent name who said he’ll be sticking around for the 2024 season.

Quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] announced on Monday afternoon that he’ll be returning to be the starting quarterback and he exclaimed that he’s coming back with a winning mindset.

Mertz said it was a difficult task to ponder between returning for another year of college ball or following his dream and entering his name for the NFL draft.

“Obviously, you grow up your whole life playing this game wanting to go to the NFL, and I had the choice between the two,” Mertz said. “And I think in the end being able to come back and be with this team for another year, I mean, I care about this place so much.

“Them taking the step and making the choice and getting me here, it was everything for me,” Mertz continued. “I feel like I owe this place everything I got. I feel like I’ve said that a couple times up here, but I truly mean that. So, once I looked at all the options and kind of weighed everything out, just like I said in my post, unfinished business. I think that’s kind of the theme for me. A lot of stuff left on the table, and I want to win.”

Mertz will certainly be looking for redemption next season, as 2023 was the first time he’s held a losing record.

The redshirt junior got his season cut short after suffering a fracture in his right collarbone during the losing contest against the Missouri Tigers. Freshman backup Max Brown took over the starting role but came up short in the final game of the year against the Florida State Seminoles.

Mertz said that one-on-one conversations with UF head coach Billy Napier was one of the few driving forces keeping him in Gainesville for his fifth year of eligibility.

“I was just reflecting with Coach (Napier) in our meeting about my timeline here, and I felt like it went by so quick,” Mertz said. “Obviously, the season didn’t go the way we wanted it to, and I think that was kind of the main driving force in that.”

Mertz finished the 2023 season with remarkable numbers, completing 73% of his passes for 2,903 yards, on top of 20 touchdowns and only throwing three interceptions.

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Former Wisconsin HC passed over for two head coach openings

Report: Former Wisconsin HC being considered for several job openings

Former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst did not spend much time away from college football after the Badgers fired him last October.

He quickly took an analyst job with Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns, where he has spent this season aiding what is currently an 11-1 football team with a chance to go to the College Football Playoff.

There were questions, somehow, about whether Chryst still had the desire to be a head coach and lead a program in today’s climate. After all, part of his departure from Wisconsin was reportedly due to him and AD Chris McIntosh not seeing eye-to-eye on how to operate in the current age of college football.

Well, a recent report made it seem like Chryst was ready to put his hat in the ring for a few open jobs. Portland, Oregon sportswriter Kerry Eggers reported last weekend that Oregon State is considering Chryst, and that he’d be interviewing there on Monday. He also added that Chryst is being considered for the Indiana opening after it fired longtime HC Tom Allen.

Then, in the last week, Oregon State elevated defensive coordinator Trent Bray to head coach, while Indiana hired former James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti. Neither went through and hired Chryst, and it’s unknown how much consideration each program gave him.

Nevertheless, we’re starting to see Chryst’s name in the ongoing coach carousel. So the long-time Badger coach could be finding a new home sooner rather than later.