Billy Napier updates injury status of Gators QB Graham Mertz
The Florida Gators likely will be without their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.
With 2:09 left in the third quarter of Florida’s 33-31 loss to Missouri on Saturday, Graham Mertz was injured following a highlight-reel play where he lowered his shoulder to storm over multiple defenders. On the next play, he then pointed to his collarbone before heading off the field to get X-rays.
According to Gators coach Billy Napier, Mertz has a nondisplaced collarbone fracture.
“He’ll be out for a little bit,” Napier said. “Probably, we’ll have more information whether it’s surgical or not. I think right now the belief is that it may not be. We’ll need to get more images before we make that decision. … I don’t want to speak on something when I don’t have 100 percent of the facts. I just know that he’s unavailable. We think it’s a pretty significant injury. I can give you a more specific timeline on Monday.”
After receiving X-rays, Mertz returned to the sideline in street clothes and with his arm in a sling. That’s where he watched the remainder of the game.
Redshirt freshman Max Brown took over at quarterback in Mertz’s place and likely will start the Gators’ regular season finale against Florida State next Saturday at The Swamp.
Brown had a costly fumble after replacing Mertz but then led Florida to two late scoring drives, the latter of which put the Gators ahead with less than two minutes remaining. He finished 4-of-5 passing for 56 yards and added 42 rushing yards on seven carries.
Prior to his injury, Mertz completed 14 of 21 passes for 183 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Running back Trevor Etienne and wide receiver Eugene Wilson III were responsible for those scores.
During his first season in Gainesville, the Wisconsin transfer started each of Florida’s 11 games. He has completed 261-of-358 passes for 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
Brown now is 10-of-12 passing for 106 yards in three games played this season. Additionally, he has 42 rushing yards on eight carries.
While Mertz was a touted recruit, Brown was not.
Brown, a member of the 2022 recruiting class, was only the No. 62 recruit in the country and checked in as the No. 1,066 prospect nationally from the On3 Industry Rankings.
He played at Lincoln Christian School in Tulsa, Okla.
When Brown came on Florida’s radar he was committed to former Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain and the Central Michigan Chippewas, hardly a recruiting rival for Florida.
“I think he’s a classic example of a really good athlete and just started playing quarterback a couple of years in high school,” Billy Napier said of Brown in August. “And we took the guy. For those reasons specifically. The pedigree of an athlete. The guy is a really good baseball player. The guy can run.”
Brown enrolled early at Florida and spent the 2022 season redshirting.
