Graham Mertz is a man on a mission in 2024

Consider Graham Mertz a man on a mission. After a season in which he completed 72.9 percent of his passes with 20 touchdowns and only three interceptions, he certainly would have gotten a chance to play his wares in the National Football League, but he chose to come back for one more fling at the University of Florida.

"Obviously, you grow up your whole life playing this game wanting to go to the NFL, and I had the choice between the two," Mertz said back in December. "And I think in the end being able to come back and be with this team for another year – I mean, I care about this place so much. Them taking the step and making the choice and getting me here, it was everything for me. I feel like I owe this place everything I got. I feel like I've said that a couple times up here, but I truly mean that. So, once I looked at all the options and kind of weighed everything out, just like I said in my post, unfinished business. I think that's kind of the theme for me. A lot of stuff left on the table, and I want to win."

This is year six in a college football career that began as a redshirt freshman at Wisconsin back in 2019. He was Wisconsin’s starting QB from 2020-2022, compiling a 19-13 record, 6-6 on the road and 1-5 against ranked teams. Last year at Florida, Mertz was 5-6, 1-4 on the road and 1-3 against ranked teams. At Wisconsin, he completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 5,405 yards (7.0 per attempt) and 38 touchdowns (26 picks). At Florida in 2023, the numbers were significantly better even though he played behind a porous offensive line (sacked 33 times) with only one consistent downfield receiving threat (Ricky Pearsall). Mertz threw for 2,903 yards, averaging 8.1 per attempt. The combined career totals for Mertz are 24-19 as a starter, 7-10 on the road, 2-8 against ranked teams. He has completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 8,308 yards (7.3 per attempt) and 58 touchdowns (29 interceptions). He has scored 12 rushing touchdowns.

Mertz spent a week during the summer at the Manning Passing Academy where he left a super impression on Archie, Peyton and Eli for his ability to make all the throws but to grasp concepts as well as read defenses. He arrived back in Gainesville ready to have the kind of season he envisioned when he was a 5-star recruit and the nation’s No. 4 quarterback in 2019.

Mertz is surrounded by better overall talent, especially at the skill positions than he’s had in five previous collegiate seasons. If the Gators can give Mertz the protection he needs and the defense can come through with a few stops to give him extra plays every game, then UF will have a chance to break a 3-year losing record and Mertz could wins up among the top quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference.

It's a 12-week regular season that includes 11 games against Division I competition and eight against SEC opponents. Here are the 12 quarterbacks Mertz will go head-to-head with in 2024:

1. Cam Ward, Miami: A record-setting D1AA QB at Incarnate Word, he spent the last two years at Washington State where he was 12-13 as a starter, 0-7 against ranked teams, 4-7 on the road. Ward threw for 6,968 yards (7.1 per attempt) and 48 touchdowns with 16 interceptions. Sacked 84 times the last two seasons, either Ward is an immobile statue in the pocket or victim of a lousy offensive line the last two years. In two years at Incarnate Word he threw for 6,908 yards and 71 touchdowns (14 interceptions).

2. Quincy Crittenden: It is entirely possible HBC Chris Hatcher will go with a two QB system. Crittenden is a fourth year junior who has completed 43-72 passes for 474 yards and four touchdowns in a backup role. He is a dual threat guy who has run for 142 yards and two TDs.  

3. Conner Weigman, Texas A&M: Everybody keeps touting him as a superstar in the making but he can’t stay healthy. In two seasons with the Aggies he’s missed nine games due to injury. In the nine games he actually played in, Weigman threw for 1.875 yards (7.5 per attempt) and 16 touchdowns with only two interceptions. In 39 rushing attempts, he gained 160 yards and scored two touchdowns. He is 1-0 all time against top 25 opponents, 0-2 on the road. He was a 5-star out of high school and the No. 4  quarterback in the country when he was part of the Aggie recruiting class that a lot of experts said was as great as any in history. More than half those recruits have transferred out.

4. Blake Shapen, Mississippi State: A transfer from Baylor, Shapen has completed 63.7 of his passes for 5,574 yards (7.4 per attempt) and 36 TDs (13 picks) in three seasons. He was 11-13 as a starter, 1-4 against ranked teams and 7-5 on the road. He has run for 184 yards on 164 attempts, good for six touchdowns. A 3-star 2020 recruit, Shapen was the No. 46 quarterback in the country.

5. KJ Jefferson, UCF: A transfer from Arkansas, Jefferson’s only road win in his career (1-8 record) is against Florida last season when he threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns while running for 92 and another score. He’s 20-17 career as a starter, 0-9 against ranked teams. He has completed 65.1 percent of his passes in his career for 7,911 passing yards (8.2 per attempt) good for 67 touchdowns with 18 interceptions. As a runner he has 1,876 career yards for 21 touchdowns.  Jefferson was a 4-star recruit in 2019, the 16th-ranked quarterback in the country.

6. Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee: He lost his redshirt against 24th-ranked Iowa in the Citrus Bowl when Joe Milton III opted out of the game. In his only start he threw for 151 yards and a TD while running for 27 yards on 15 carries, good for three touchdowns. In the five games he played, Iamaleava completed 28-45 passes for 314 yards (7.0 per attempt) and two touchdowns while running for 71 yards and three TDs. He was a 5-star recruit out of high school in California, the 3rd-ranked quarterback in the country.

7. Brock Vandagriff, Kentucky: A former 5-star recruit who spent three years at Georgia where he had zero starts. Playing in 13 games, Vandagriff completed 12-21 passes for 165 yards (7.9 per attempt) and two touchdowns while running for 46 yards on six attempts. Out of high school, Vandagriff was the No. 4 ranked quarterback recruit in the country.

8. Carson Beck, Georgia: A 5th-year senior, Beck was 13-1 as a starter in 2023, 4-1 against ranked teams and 4-0 on the road. For his career, Beck has completed 71.2 percent of his passes for 4,427 yards (9.3 per attempt) and 30 touchdowns (8 interceptions). He has run for 174 yards and four touchdowns. Beck is considered the frontrunner for the 2024 Heisman Trophy. Beck was a 4-star recruit in 2020, the 16th-ranked quarterback in the country.

9. Quinn Ewers, Texas: Ewers is a 4th-year junior who spent his freshman year at Ohio State. In two years as the starter at Texas, he is 16-6 as a starter, 3-5 against ranked teams and 5-3 on the road. Ewers was a 5-star recruit prior to skipping his senior season in high school to early enroll at Ohio State. He has completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 5,656 yards (8.2 yards per attempt) and 37 touchdowns (12 picks). He has missed five games due to injuries (2 in 2022, 3 in 2023).

10. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU: In his only career start against Wisconsin in the Reliaquest Bowl, Nussmeier completed 31-45 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns. He is a 4th-year junior who has completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 1,720 yards (7.9 per attempt) and 11 touchdowns (seven interceptions). His rushing totals are -58 yards for one touchdown. Nussmeier was a 4-star quarterback as a recruit, the 11th-ranked quarterback in the country.

11. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss: Dart began his career at Southern Cal where he was a 4-star recruit and the No. 7 quarterback in the country. A 4th-year senior, Dart is 20-10 as a starter, 7-5 on the road and 3-6 against ranked teams. He has completed 63.4 percent of his passes in his career, good for 7,691 yards (8.5 per attempt) and 52 touchdowns (21 interceptions). He has run for 1,046 yards and 11 touchdowns. Dart is coming off an 11-2 season in which he threw for 3,364 yards (9.4 yards per attempt) for 23 touchdowns (5 interceptions).

12. DJ Uiagalelei, Florida State: FSU is Uiagalelei’s third school. He began his career at Clemson where he was 22-7 as a starter, 7-4 on the road and 2-6 against ranked teams. A year ago at Oregon State he was 8-5 as a starter with a 3-3 record on the road and 0-4 against ranked teams. For his career he’s 30-12 as a starter, 10-7 on the road, 2-10 against ranked teams. Formerly a 5-star recruit who was the No. 2 quarterback in the 2020 class, Uiagalelei has completed 59.1 percent of his passes for 8,319 yards (7.1 per attempt) and 57 touchdowns (24 interceptions). A year ago at Oregon State he completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 2,638 yards (8.4 per attempt) and 21 touchdowns (7 interceptions). He has run for 1,132 yards and 21 touchdowns in his career.