DALLAS — As Florida coach Billy Napier enters a crucial third season with the Gators, his argument for optimism after two straight losing seasons begins with quarterback Graham Mertz.
Mertz, a transfer from Wisconsin entering his second season at Florida, improved his completion percentage by a staggering 15 percent last year, finishing just under 73 percent. That ranked No. 3 in the country and best in the SEC.
“He's one of the best quarterbacks in America,” Napier said, adding that he expects the NFL to develop a strong interest in Mertz.
Mertz will need to have another strong season, as Florida has a schedule that includes the toughest non-conference schedule in the country, which includes Miami, Florida State and UCF. The two consecutive losing seasons combined with the schedule have made Napier the favorite among SEC coaches to be fired this year.
Napier's severance package would be more than $26 million if he is fired on Dec. 1.
“I don't know if I would say I feel pressure,” Napier said. “I mean, I think I'm a little bit more aware that this game is a conditional game. I mean, people love you when you win, but they don't love you when you lose.”
“I want our players to be successful. That's what I would say. I think I've watched how hard they've worked. It hasn't been easy here the last two years. This is not for the faint of heart. And the game has evolved and changed every six months.”
Napier took over at Florida after the 2021 season and said that when he arrived the team “makes zero dollars in NIL,” and that carried over to the Gators “preparing to pay our team between $12.5 million and $15 million here over the next few years.”
Napier said he has looked at his tenure as Year 0, Year 1 and now entering Year 2. He described how much has happened during his tenure that has made him feel that way.
“So we transitioned to new facilities,” he said. “We had to hire staff, modernize the infrastructure. The entire player experience had to be completely revamped: housing, parking, nutrition. There's a lot of work to do. And then I thought, 'Hey, don't forget that you're competing against the best and they have a slight edge on you.'”
After a 5-7 season in 2023, any improvement will start with Mertz.
Mertz arrived at Florida as a four-star player who veered off course, as he came to Madison in the Class of 2019 as ESPN’s No. 1-ranked pocket passer. He left there inconsistent and turnover-prone, as coach Paul Chryst was fired in early October during Mertz’s final season in Madison.
Mertz's numbers rose at Florida, as he finished the 2023 season setting some program records: most consecutive passes without an interception (239), consecutive passes completed (19) and completion percentage (72.9%).
Perhaps most notably, Mertz cut his interceptions to just three after throwing 10 in 2022 and 11 in 2021. That decrease in interceptions came with 70 more attempts than he had in 2022 or 2021.
“Let me tell you this: He's going to play extremely well this year and then (the NFL) is going to start interviewing this kid,” Napier said. “They're going to bring him in the room and say he's one of the best quarterbacks in the country and he's going to play extremely well. Don't forget, this kid was ranked the third-best quarterback in America before he came out.”
Mertz said the tough times in Wisconsin have shaped him.
“Adversity has left its mark on me,” he said. “I think knowing that adversity is there 24/7 makes you a little bit more prepared to deal with it when you've overcome it.”
He added that he wants to leave college as a winner in his final season. “I don't want the journey to end,” he said. “I think that's one thing. I think as far as college football goes, I think I just want to win, man. That's why I came back. But it's been a wild ride. I think I've learned a lot about myself, not just about football, but about life. How I handle the hard things, how I handle the good things. And life is just about staying strong.”
