Florida Gators QB Competition Involves 'Polar Opposites'
Florida Gators quarterback competition between senior Graham Mertz and freshman DJ Lagway involves "polar opposites" according to head coach Billy Napier.
The Florida Gators quarterback competition this spring involves two players that are "polar opposites" according to head coach Billy Napier.
Graham Mertz (6'3, 215) is the presumed starter heading into the 2024 season after throwing for 20 touchdowns against just three interceptions for the Gators last year.
However, he'll be pushed by freshman phenom DJ Lagway (6'3, 241) who arrived in January in time for spring practice. A prize recruit out of Texas, Lagway was the No. 1 quarterback and No. 3 recruit overall last year according to 247sports.
When asked about the play of his quarterbacks after the Orange and Blue game, Napier was quick to point out the progress of the defense.
"At times today I thought the rush and the coverage worked well together," said Napier. "They did a nice job of affecting the quarterback, coverage was tight. Overall we’ve made progress in the secondary.
"I think we threw it to the other team a couple times. We'd like to have those back, but overall when given opportunity, I thought we took advantage of it."
Napier praised both quarterbacks after the Orange and Blue game and how they've been working together since Lagway's arrival.
"I do think that those guys have been awesome," said Napier. "I mean, I can't compliment those two guys enough. Just to see them, you’ve got a guy, it's like polar opposites, right? You’ve got this guy who’s started 43 games who’s incredibly aware, smart, different type of player than DJ, and then DJ’s obviously you can see he is athletic. He can make plays with his feet, and he has no experience.
"To see those guys collaborate, to go back and forth throughout the spring, and today you can see DJ has made some progress. Just got here in January."
Mertz transferred from Wisconsin following 2022 season. While he might not have had the same hype as Lagway coming out of high school, he didn't exactly fit the typical "2-star Big Ten West signee made good" profile.
Mertz was a four-star recruit out of high school with reported offers from Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia among others.
Lagway definitely upgrades the room, and Napier is looking forward to seeing the improvement and progress from the quarterback position at Florida.
"So overall a lot of good today," said Napier. "I do think there’ll be things that we can do better. There's no question about it. I thought at times the rush was effective, and I think the coverage had something to do with that. I thought we covered ‘em pretty good today."
While Mertz is the starter for the Gators, Lagway should see plenty of action as the season progresses.