Graham Mertz, Jack Miller embracing the ‘open competition’ at QB

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida football team has several position battles taking place in spring camp, most notably at quarterback. A trio of scholarship signal callers are competing for the Gators’ starting job vacated by Anthony Richardson, who will be a top-10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Vying to replace him are a pair of former Big Ten quarterbacks — Graham Mertz and Jack Miller III — and a redshirt freshman in Max Brown who played for the Florida baseball team this year. It’s mostly a two-man race between Mertz and Miller, who made his first career start for the Gators in 2022.

“I see really a group that wants to please,” UF coach Billy Napier said. “Obviously, Jack’s benefiting from being in his second year, but I’ve been impressed with Graham’s work ethic. I think he’s done a good job. He’s got a really good grasp of the system.

“Max is obviously in Year 2 as well. Most importantly, just the example there, working hard to connect with the rest of the team. I’m excited about that group and the progress that they can make.”

Miller missed the regular season with a thumb injury before making his UF debut in the Las Vegas Bowl after Richardson declared for the draft. He threw for 180 yards on 13 of 22 passing in a 30-3 loss to Oregon State. While Miller was grateful to play, his performance left a bad taste in his mouth.

“I finally got to play in a game and see what it’s really like to start a game, prepare for a game,” Miller said. “It was definitely not the performance that I wanted or how I envisioned it going at all. But you know, I learned from it a lot and it really fueled me this offseason. I’ve been pissed about it since it happened, so making sure it won’t happen again.”

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With Richardson moving on and Brown redshirting as a true freshman, Miller headed into the offseason as the frontrunner to take over as QB1 in 2023. That was, however, until the Gators added Mertz to their quarterback room.

The three-year starter at Wisconsin transferred to Florida in January after making 32 career starts for the Badgers. Graham Mertz finished last season with a career-high 2,136 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

“There was really no reaction. Just come back and compete,” Miller said when asked how he reacted to Mertz joining the team. “I embrace competition. I love it. It’s just going to make us all better.”

The competition is in full swing this spring, with both quarterbacks splitting first-team reps in practice and getting opportunities to run Florida’s offense with the starters.

Although Mertz came in to challenge Miller for the job, the QB battle has not pitted them against each other. It’s been quite the opposite, according to Mertz.

“People always say competition is going against people, but I think that we’re pushing each other to be better,” Mertz said. “And that’s one thing that I appreciate, the time that he’s helped me out on just little playbook things that he kind of took in when he was learning it. So, our goal is to make this team as good as it can be.

“And we’re pushing each other each day to do that, so I’ve loved everything that he’s done. Everything that we do every day. We work together every day for hours. So, we’re doing it together and we’re doing it for this team. I think that people always make these to be against each other, but it’s the furthest thing from that.”

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Graham Mertz, Jack Miller and the Gators will hold their first scrimmage on Tuesday and a second scrimmage on April 6 before concluding spring ball with the Orange & Bowl Game on Thursday, April 16.

Those three scrimmages will go a long way in determining which quarterback gets the nod, although the competition could extend into fall training camp.

“It’s been a really good competition,” Miller said of the battle with Mertz. “We both embrace it, and Max [Brown] as well. We all love to compete, so it’s been a really fun spring so far.

“He’s a really good dude. He has a really good arm as well. He has a lot of experience as well at Wisconsin. It’s really cool to really learn from somebody too. He knows a lot.”

Addressing the media Saturday for the first time this spring, Mertz and Miller were both asked what Napier looks for in a quarterback and how he will decide on a starter.

“Just consistency,” Miller replied. “They tell us it’s an open competition, so whoever does the best, that’s who it’s going to be.”

“Everyone kind of has that cliche quarterback,” Mertz said, “but it’s a leader, someone that can make their teammates better and can do their job so well that people love to play for you. So that’s our job as a quarterback, that’s what our whole room is set out to do every day.”