by In case you missed it this past Saturday, Florida QB Graham Mertz lit up the stat sheet and threw for a career-high 423 yards to go along with 3 TD as the Gators improved to 5-2 out of nowhere with a gritty road win at South Carolina.
Not only is this quietly one of the most overachieving teams in the FBS right now, but Mertz is simply overperforming.
Remember that bust of a 5-star prospect who never lived up to expectations at Wisconsin and half of the Florida fanbase was frustrated with picking him up in the transfer portal?
Now he’s doing this on the gridiron:
Mertz also only has two interceptions on the season with neither of them being his fault.
Granted, I’m not saying that the guy is a surefire Heisman candidate or deserves first-round draft buzz, but I think it’s fair to say that we were all wrong about Graham Mertz.
In his defense, I believe that Paul Chryst failed to put Mertz in the proper system at Wisconsin with the right play calling and developmental coaching that would allow him to thrive at the college level. I mean, you’d have to go back all the way to 2011 to find the last good and relevant quarterback at Wisconsin (Russell Wilson), and he even transferred in.
Mertz still showed flashes of greatness in Madison (ex: college debut vs Illinois during COVID year), but just couldn’t piece it all together. Maybe all the guy needed was a second chance and a change of scenery.
While I believe that Billy Napier is not a good head coach and will most likely still get booted out of Gainesville this offseason, Mertz finally has the one thing that’s been holding him back all along: confidence.
He’s playing at a highly efficient level right now and that can’t be disputed.
The 5-2 Gators are entering their toughest stretch of the season with four games against ranked opponents, including #1 Georgia in Jacksonville this Saturday. Even though I wouldn’t be shocked if this team finishes 6-6 or 7-5, Mertz’s play has given this program and fanbase enough optimism to believe that Florida can outperform its expectations.
It’s time to give Mertz his flowers. At least for now.
