Billy Napier Shares Positive Update on Florida QB Graham Mertz's Injury
Photo: Florida quarterback Graham Mertz; Credit: Alex Shepherd
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Gators starting quarterback Graham Mertz received a positive update for his nondisplaced fractured left collarbone suffered against Missouri in Week 12, Florida head coach Billy Napier told reporters on Monday.
The results of a secondary scan of the hurt indicate the potential for the fracture, which Napier originally considered "significant," to heal on its own, which Florida will continue to assess over the coming weeks before officially determining if Mertz can bypass surgery or not.
"We took another image yesterday and felt good about that image," Napier said. "You know, we're basically gonna go in a two-week period here where we're going to give a chance for the fracture to start the process of growing back, and then we'll re-evaluate things.
"In the meantime, we're going to do exhaustive research on like cases in college football and the National Football League relative to players that have been through similar injuries, just making sure we're giving him the best map for him going forward through the rest of his career."
However, Mertz will not be available for Florida's regular-season finale against No. 4 Florida State on Saturday. Should the Gators lose the game and avoid bowl eligibility, the injury would naturally become season-ending.
"Much like any great competitor, I think he obviously wishes he could do everything he could do for the team. He's going to be around and he'll still contribute to the team in the ways that he can," Napier said. "It's tough. I think injuries, sometimes for players, those are some of the more challenging things that you go through."
The Overland Park, Kan., native's career revival campaign appears to have reached its conclusion in a heartbreaking fashion, prematurely, amid some of the best football Mertz has played in five years of college.
Mertz transferred to Florida in January following four seasons at Wisconsin, where he was viewed as a potential franchise quarterback after signing as the consensus No. 3 passer in the 2019 recruiting class.
He took over as the Badgers' starting quarterback in 2020, but underwhelmed, completing less than 60% of his passes and producing a 1.5-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio while Wisconsin amassed a 19-13 record over 32 games.
But following a change of scenery and inside a new offensive system with Billy Napier's Gators, Mertz hit his stride.
Mertz finished his redshirt junior campaign having completed 72.9% of his 358 passes for 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions, reaching career highs in the former trio of categories and a career low in the latter statistic. He added touchdowns rushing on the year.
Mertz reached 300+ passing yards in a single game thrice in 2023, against Utah, South Carolina and LSU, after not meeting the mark once during his time at Wisconsin. He attempted a program-best 239 passes in between his second and third interceptions of the campaign, breaking Tim Tebow's former record of 203 versus the Tigers.
National recognition for Mertz's season-long performance came on Oct. 31 when he was named to the Davey O'Brien Award watch list and Quarterback Class of 2023.
Florida will officially turn to redshirt freshman Max Brown in place of Mertz against the Seminoles and potentially beyond, if the Gators reach the postseason. Brown completed four-of-five passes for 56 yards and rushed seven times for 42 yards against Missouri following Mertz's exit from the game in Week 12.
In his two-year career with UF, Brown has completed 10-of-12 passes for 92 yards over five appearances.
The Seminoles, too, will field their backup quarterback in the Sunshine State Showdown on Saturday, as star signal-caller Jordan Travis suffered a lower leg injury that has ended his college career. Redshirt junior Tate Rodemaker will take over in FSU's backfield following 22 career appearances, in which he completed 56-of-93 passes for 767 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
Florida vs. Florida State is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
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