Spring Look Back: Florida Gators Quarterbacks

The Florida Gators are less than two months away from the start of fall training camp. Before practices start, let’s look back on spring ball and what we learned.

Today, we kick off our annual spring positional recaps by looking at the quarterbacks.

WHAT WE LEARNED: QB room is in great shape

Florida’s quarterback room is one of the best in the country and the strongest it’s been since 2020, which is the last time the Gators returned their starting QB and had a trio of Kyle Trask, Anthony Richardson and Emory Jones.

This year UF brings back sixth-year senior Graham Mertz, who returns from a season-ending injury. He was back to full strength in spring camp and showed no lingering effects from his collarbone fracture at Missouri.

Mertz had a breakout season in 2023, throwing for a career-high 2,903 yards and 20 touchdowns while leading the SEC in completion percentage (72.9%) and fewest interceptions (3), all of which were tipped passes.

DJ Lagway was the consensus No. 1 QB in the 2024 class and collected numerous national awards, including National Gatorade Player of the Year, Bobby Dodd National Back of the Year and MaxPreps Player of the Year.

Florida’s quarterback room also includes Colorado State transfer Clay Millen, a redshirt junior who worked this spring as the third-string QB. He completed 7 of 8 pass attempts for 21 yards in the Orange & Blue Game.

BIGGEST CONCERN: Another injury to Graham Mertz

Mertz’s return is one of the biggest reasons for optimism with the Gators. However, they will likely go as far as he takes them in 2024. Another injury to Mertz, especially the season-ending variety, could spell doom with this schedule.

Among starting quarterbacks returning for 2024, Mertz ranks No. 2 nationally in completion percentage (72.9%), tied for No. 2 in fewest interceptions, No. 11 in passer rating (157.8) and No. 17 in passing yards per game (263.9).

If the Gators have to turn to Lagway or Millen on a full-time basis, that will hurt their chances of winning some key games. Lagway is the projected backup and UF’s future at the position, but having him start as a true freshman against this slate is not ideal.

The best-case scenario would be for Lagway to spend the year learning behind Mertz, getting his feet and contributing off the bench with packages for him. Should another injury to Mertz occur, it would be interesting to see if UF considered starting Millen.

Millen started as a redshirt freshman at Colorado State in 2022. He finished that season with 1,910 yards on 169 of 234 passing with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. His 72.2 completion percentage set the NCAA record for an FBS freshman.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: DJ Lagway’s spring game

Lagway was one of the Gators’ standout players in the Orange & Blue Game. He threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns on 12 of 21 attempts (57.1%).

While Florida fans expected a showing like that from the five-star freshman, his debut was even better considered how he played in the scrimmages. Lagway threw an interception early in his first scrimmage and had trouble shaking off the turnover. He then threw three picks in the second scrimmage.

Given his struggles in those two practices, it was unclear how Lagway would perform in the spring game on a bigger stage with fans in the stands. But Lagway rose to the occasion, showing the ability to throw the deep ball and make some difficult throws from the pocket as well as when he scrambled.

Sources said the coaching staff appeared to deliberately give Lagway difficult reads with different coverages and disguises in the scripted scrimmage. He was also playing with the No. 2 offense against the starting defense. In the spring game, he faced the second-string defense.

It should also be noted that Lagway rebounded from his three picks later in the second scrimmage with a couple great throws. He finished with two touchdowns, including one to Kahleil Jackson where he extended the play with his legs. Despite some early struggles, Lagway closed out the spring on a strong note.

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