Florida quarterback Graham Mertz will have surgery and sit out the rest of the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during Saturday's overtime loss to Tennessee , coach Billy Napier announced Monday.
"It's only right that I say how much I appreciate what he's brought to the team," Napier said.
It was an excruciating way for Mertz, a sixth-year senior, to end his college career. It was a noncontact injury that occurred after he threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Arlis Boardingham midway through the third quarter to put Florida ahead 10-0.
As Mertz was backing up after making the throw, his leg appeared to land awkwardly on the turf . He was tended to by trainers, limped off the field and slammed his helmet to the ground when he reached the sideline. Mertz watched the fourth quarter on crutches and wearing a brace on his knee.
With Mertz sidelined, Florida will turn to true freshman DJ Lagway full time at quarterback.
Mertz sent a message on social media to Florida fans and thanked them for "two incredible years in Gainesville." During his recovery, he vowed to "remain a part of the program and do whatever I can in meeting rooms and from the sideline to help my teammates win."
Mertz was also injured to end last season when he fractured his collarbone in the next-to-last game against Missouri . He elected to return for the 2024 season instead of entering the NFL draft.
He sat out a Week 2 win this season over Samford after sustaining a concussion in the season-opening loss to Miami . Mertz began his career at Wisconsin and was a three-year starter for the Badgers before transferring to Florida.
In five games this season, Mertz passed for six touchdowns with two interceptions. He leads the country with a 76.6 completion percentage and threw a touchdown pass in 15 of his 16 career starts at Florida.
Lagway had been rotating with Mertz for much of this season and started for the injured Mertz in Week 2 and passed for 456 yards. In the loss to Tennessee, Lagway threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Chimere Dike on third-and-19 in the final seconds to force overtime.
Lagway was ESPN's top-rated quarterback nationally in the 2024 signing class and the No. 8 prospect overall.
The Gators (3-3, 1-2 SEC) return home to face Kentucky on Saturday. Then they play four straight games against teams ranked in the top 20 in the AP poll, including three teams in the top 8 (No. 5 Georgia , No. 1 Texas and No. 8 LSU ).
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