Florida football QB Graham Mertz eager to take on role as mentor to D.J. Lagway

Florida football quarterback Graham Mertz admitted his competitive juices got flowing a bit during UF's first spring practice on Thursday.

Trading throws with freshman phenom D.J. Lagway, Mertz said, brought out the best in both of them.

"It fired me up a little bit," Mertz said. "It's been awesome. It's been, what, two months of it so far, two and a half months though. We're rolling."

Even Mertz could appreciate the arm talent of Lagway as he zipped throws on crossing patterns.

"Oh yeah, he's elite," Mertz said. "100 percent."

Mertz returns as the incumbent starter for the Florida Gators after throwing for 2,903 yards with 20 TDs to just 3 interceptions in 11 starts in 2023. But in returning for 2024, Mertz also will serve as a bridge to UF's future, mentoring Lagway as he adjusts to his first season as a college football quarterback.

Mertz likened it to when he came out as the top-rated pro style quarterback recruit in the country in 2019 and spent his first year as Wisconsin playing behind Jack Coan.

"I was the young guy, highly recruited all this stuff," Mertz said, "I mean and that can be a lot ....

"I can bring things that I went through recently when I was learning the offense here, how to teach him and how to grow at a faster rate."

Practice report:QB D.J. Lagway shines and other takeaways from Florida football's first spring practice

Spring storylines:Depth chart, 5 things to watch as Florida football kicks off spring practice

UF football coach Billy Napier says QBs Mertz, Lagway 'see the big picture'

Napier said the relationship between Mertz and Lagway will work because both are selfless.

"They both have character," Napier said. "They both have awareness and perspective. They can see the big picture. There’s no ego there. There’s a certain confidence and humility that both guys have. I think there’s an understanding of their role. They’ve embraced that."

Mertz said the main reason he returned was that he didn't want to go out with a 5-6 starting record in a UF uniform. Lagway could be needed at some point, if Mertz goes down with an injury, like he did when he broke his collarbone in the second-to-last game of the season at Missouri.

"Graham’s on a mission, came back with a purpose," Napier said. "Not only to increase his value personally but for our team to accomplish more. And then certainly DJ being a young player, being a rookie, there’s a ton to learn there. The advantage of DJ being able to observe Graham and certainly Graham’s embraced that mentorship and done a phenomenal job so far.”

Mertz said to this point Lagway has been a willing pupil, eager to take in any advice.

"The no egos thing I mean that's exactly what I would say," Mertz said. "He's here to learn. He wants to grow."

Napier described Lagway as someone who loves to play and is fun to coach.

"He's got unique ability – the size, the athleticism, the arm talent," Napier said. "But probably the best thing about him is just the work ethic, the desire to learn, the perspective and understanding and awareness that he knows he's got a lot of work to do to get better."