Florida Gators coach Billy Napier has a big decision to make
It was the legend John Madden who once wisely declared, “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none,” and history has taught us that one of the game’s greatest ambassadors is correct more often than not. However, folks in Gainesville are hoping that their Florida Gators are the exception to this long-held football rule, because head coach Billy Napier seems to be conflicted on whether returning starter Graham Mertz or true freshman phenom DJ Lagway will be QB1 for the Gators moving forward.
After Mertz was concussed and unavailable following Florida’s opening week loss to the Miami Hurricanes, Napier handed the keys to Lagway, setting the heralded freshman QB up for a chance to smash Gator records in his first start. Now, as Florida prepares to open up SEC play against the Texas A&M Aggies, Billy Napier is building the suspense in regards to his decision about a starter.
Per a tweet from Pete Nakos of On3 Sports:
“Marty Smith shared on ESPN that he asked Billy Napier who will start Saturday against Texas A&M: ‘Time will tell.’”
The Florida football program was excited to have Graham Mertz back for one more season, but Mertz’s announcement came nearly a month before Texas product DJ Lagway announced he’d be coming to Gainesville for his freshman season. In the preseason, there was no chatter that a quarterback competition was taking place at Florida, but after Lagway burst onto the scene in such impressive fashion, it’s understandable that the Gators would consider making the change a permanent one.
Although DJ Lagway’s breakout performance came at the expense of FCS opponent Samford, it’s not as if Mertz had been lighting the world on fire since he transferred to Florida ahead of the 2023 season. During his first season in Gainesville, Mertz was only 5-5 as a starter, and he struggled in his first game of the 2024 season, completing just 11-of-20 pass attempts for 90 yards and an interception.
Whatever decision Billy Napier makes, it will be a crucial one, because his job could be on the line this season.
