Is the Florida quarterback dilemma finally settled? At least for a former Gators alum, it is. Senior QB Graham Mertz started Florida’s game opener with a sore 41-17 loss against No. 19 Miami. The following week, freshman QB DJ Lagway got a chance to make his first start against Samford, who he dominated in a 45-7 victory. But HC Billy Napier’s decision to start Mertz over Lagway in Week 3 incited the fury of fans, which even boiled over to the point of questioning his career in Florida after their loss to Texas A&M. As the season progresses, Mertz is still listed as the starter, but the Gators are following a two-quarterback system. 

We were able to get in touch with former NFL quarterback Jesse Palmer for an exclusive interview, during which he shared his thoughts about the Florida QB battle. When asked who would better suit as the main QB, the Canadian TV personality and sports commentator said, “Well, I think right now, the plan is to play both guys. They’re both really good.” 

Jesse Palmer began with a shoutout to Mertz for turning the game around with two back-to-back wins against Mississippi and UCF, “Graham Mertz is sort of proving to be a leader in that locker room. He’s made big plays in big games.” The 23-year-old just came off a 24-13 victory over the Knights with 179 yards and a touchdown. Palmer didn’t snub the 2023 Gatorade Football Player of the Year, who has been getting play time in both Week 3 and 4. He stated, “DJ Lagway no question is the future of the program. It’s important that he gets snaps now to gain that critical experience.” 

DJ Lagway already proved his hype in Week 2 when he led the Gators to their biggest win of the season with 456 yards and three TDs. He also received more hype in the last UCF game where he recorded 4 of 4 for 50 yards. As Palmer noted of the QB situation, “This is obviously something that HC Billy Napier gonna have to juggle as he moves forward.” Hopefully, this dual-QB system will be beneficial for both the QBs as well as the program in the long run and in their next game against Tennessee. 

Can Billy Napier’s Gators survive Tennessee as underdogs?

Billy Napier and Florida will head to Tennessee to meet the No. 8 Volunteers at Neyland Stadium for an SEC showdown on October 13. The Gators will continue to play with both their QBs where Mertz will play for the first, second, fourth, and fifth drives of each half while Lagway will start the third and sixth drives. Tennessee experienced a shocking lone 19-14 loss in their last battle against Arkansas where their QB Nico Iamaleava’s completion rate was limited to just 57 percent. 

Florida leads the all-time record against Tennessee with a 31-21 record. They won 29-16 against the Vols last season but could this season turn the tables around? But this year, Florida isn’t showing their dominance like last season leading to a huge loss for Billy Napier. Tennessee enters the Week 7 game against Florida as a 17-point favorite. But there’s hope that the Gators can execute an upset over their ranked SEC opponent. 

It remains to be seen how the Gators will fare against the Vols. The college football fans have an amazing slate of games to look forward to this Saturday. Another thing they may like to know about? Former college football star QB Jesse Palmer’s collaboration with Fairfield by Marriott to launch the Home Field Advantage Contest for the country’s most dedicated college football fans.