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The Florida Gators lost their starting quarterback Anthony Richardson to the NFL in the offseason. Bill Napier went to the transfer portal to try to offset the loss of such an invaluable talent. What the Gators managed to get is former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Graham Matz.
Why did Graham Mertz transfer to Florida?
Matz, who wasn't enjoying the best of times in the Midwest, comes from a frustrating season in which he had a career-low completion percentage of 57.3%. He took the decision that the change of scenery would be the best for his career.
When asked about what he thought of playing for the Gators on his first news conference since the transfer, Graham Mertz said:
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"You fall in love with the weather. You fall in love with the people. Great coaches. Great teammates,"
More recently this month, he reiterated how happy he is to be in Gainsville:
"It doesn’t feel like a job. It doesn’t feel like work. You genuinely love it. I came from one program that had a lot of history. Stepping into a new one, you gain that appreciation; you see the history everywhere you go."
Mertz is a redshirt senior who played in a run-heavy offense while at Wisconsin. He has big shoes to fill coming in the heels of star QB Anthony Ricardson, who was drafted in the first round by the Indianapolis Colts in April.
Graham Mertz with Wisconsin
A quick glance at Mertz's numbers shows that he gradually declined over his time as a starter for the Badgers. When he was given more opportunities to throw the ball, he grew less and less accurate. Pair with that 11 and 10 interceptions in his last two seasons respectively, and you wouldn't blame Gators fans for worrying.
Florida's Week 1
The Gators start the season with a tough game versus the Utah Utes on Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. The Gators are the underdogs, with Utah being ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll. This will be a trial by fire for Graham Mertz and coach Billy Napier.
You can catch the game on ESPN.
