The responsibility of the starting QB was given to Graham Mertz over DJ Lagway, which hasn’t been well received by the fans. During the season opener against Miami, Mertz suffered a concussion, due to which, he was replaced by Lagway. The 19-year-old quarterback proved himself to be a rising star as he threw out a total of 456 yards and finished 3 touchdowns. Additionally, he broke the school record for single-game passing yards as a freshman, which made it evident that he was the right guy for the job but it looks like Napier wasn’t all that impressed. The HC chose to start Mertz as the starting QB, with Lagway playing at other positions against the Texas A&M Aggies, and CFB analysts like Paul Catalina had some contradictory thoughts to voice out.

On the 14th September episode of ‘The Triple Option with Paul Catalina’, the show talks about the upcoming NCAA games, more specifically, the showdown between the Florida Gators and the Texas A&M Aggies. The show dove deep into the topic of how the Gators are picking Graham Mertz as their starting QB over DJ Lagway, while the freshman would play specific possessions each half and certain plays throughout possessions.

Paul tackled this strategy and expressed dissent with Napier’s move and said, “I’ve not heard one good thing about Florida for like the entire off-season, other than people saying, you know, Graham Mertz is not as bad as you’d say he is. 21 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions last year but yeah like wins? How many games in his career, in Wisconsin and Florida, has he won?” Thus, qualms regarding Mertz’s capabilities seem to be on the rise, but if the youngster ends up proving his might against the Aggies, then he might just end up turning the tide of doubts against him. With that being said, here’s a look at what Napier had to say to justify his decision.

Billy Napier gives his reasons to start Mertz over Lagway

DJ Lagway had an exceptional debut as a starter last week and helped lead the Gators to an easy 45-7 score. Additionally, the 6-foot-3, 239-pound player was rated as a top-quarterback prospect in the 2024 signing class, as per ESPN, and yet, he’s not the first choice for Billy Napier. As per the HC, the presence of both Lagway and Mertz on the field will make them “harder to defend.”

Napier highlighted the relationship that both of the players share and said, “Both players will play. They have a great relationship. The staff and team have confidence in both players. Both have been impressive this week. It’s a positive for our team as a whole.” Unfortunately, it didn’t work out too well according to Napier’s strategies, as the Aggies defeated them with a score of 33-20 with not a lot of difficulty. They will play against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on 21st September, and hopefully, Lagway can see time as a starting quarterback this time.