Gators' Graham Mertz barely a top-10 SEC quarterback

The Southeastern Conference is one of the most talented collections of talent in college football, especially now that the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns have joined the league.

That plethora of potential extends to the quarterback position, where the SEC has some of the best signal-callers in the country. Among them is Florida’s Graham Mertz, who was one of the most efficient passers in the game last season.

On3’s Clark Brooks recently ranked the conference’s quarterbacks from top to bottom, with the Gators’ incumbent QB coming in at No. 10 out of 16 total passers, behind Texas A&M Aggie Connor Weigman and ahead of Kentucky Wildcat Brock Vandagriff.

“Mertz MUST get better as a downfield thrower,” Brooks begins. “Just has to. Not good at it in back-to-back years and this past season he had the worst uncatchable percentage past 15 yards in the SEC. But his pocket roll has improved. Still a tad gunshy bailing from pockets and leaning on his dominant side. But sneakily great versus pressure.”

Brooks continues, pointing out that downfield courage is crucial for Mertz’s success.

“And while there’s no guarantee that will continue, that’s a top selling point this off-season. One of the best caretakers in college football eliminating mistakes. But passes up things far too often for surefire completions. Looks the part, has tools, but can he put it all together? Jayden Daniels gained courage throwing downfield after years of hesitancy and look what happened.”

Florida’s 2024 season opener

The Florida and Miami open their schedule on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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