Florida Gators starting quarterback Graham Mertz is out for the Georgia Bulldogs game and the rest of the year. Unfortunately, Mertz suffered a torn ACL in Florida’s 23-17 loss at Tennessee.
The Gators have another legitimate option at quarterback in true freshman DJ Lagway. Lagway has already picked up a lot of experience this season.
“We recruited DJ (Lagway). He’s a great kid — what a great family — and just uber-talented,” said Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart said on the weekly SEC teleconference. “To come into the SEC and be able to play like he has as a true freshman, it’s rare because the step up is usually so high.”
Lagway was a five-star quarterback in the class of 2025. He was ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per 247Sports.
“He’s got unbelievable arm talent,” continued Smart. “He can throw the ball the length of the field.”
Lagway is tasked with saving head coach Billy Napier’s job. The Gators face a massive challenge and are scheduled to play four ranked opponents over their final five games.
Lagway has completed 62.8% of his passes this year for five touchdowns and five interceptions. Lagway has thrown for 1,024 yards and has taken six sacks. He has rushed 96 yards on 34 carries.
Lagway completed seven of 14 passes for 259 yards and an interception and rushed 10 times for 46 yards in Florida’s dominant 48-20 win over Kentucky. The Gators took a run-centric approach against Kentucky and ran on 74.6% of offensive plays.
Graham Mertz completed 72 of 94 passes for 791 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions this season. Mertz finished his senior season with a QBR of 71.6. He is out of college eligibility.
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Florida is 4-3 to start the 2024 college football season. Both Florida and the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs have byes before renewing their rivalry in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Georgia-Florida game will be played at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 and televised on ABC.
This article originally appeared on Bulldogs Wire: Florida without its starting QB vs Georgia
