(Photo via Florida Gators/UAA Communications)
Now that fall practice is in full swing for the Florida Gators, it’s time to start talking football again. And what better way to do that than by passing along some news and notes from those practices?
Same deal as the spring practice notes: everything I publish here has been confirmed by at least two people on the ground in Gainesville unless explicitly stated otherwise, so as to eliminate any potential biases or outlier opinions from onlookers. So, what’s stood out so far as we approach the midway point of August?
Graham Mertz making strides at QB
It’s been generally assumed that Graham Mertz would be the Florida Gators’ starting QB in 2023 since he transferred in from Wisconsin last December, and if it wasn’t clear then, it definitely was when the Jaden Rashada situation imploded. You could certainly do worse than Jack Miller as a backup, but as we saw in the Las Vegas Bowl- yes, with a skeleton of a team around him, even still- his ceiling is limited. And Billy Napier has made too many references to Max Brown having more student-of-the-game type of work ahead of him to believe Napier was ever going to entertain the idea of starting him.
So by default- unless he looked absolutely dreadful in practices and scrimmages- it was a foregone conclusion that Mertz would be the guy. The question is, since that was the case, what took so long to make this decision?
I haven’t talked to anyone in Gainesville who’s outright raved about Graham Mertz in fall practice so far. The unofficial motto of the In All Kinds of Weather brand is to “keep it respectful, but keep it real.” So I do want to temper expectations with that. The “HeisMertz” slogan some fans have adopted seems to be more of a bit for fun than a plausible campaign. Sorry if that bursts any optimistic fans’ bubbles- that’s just not who he is, and that’s not what he was brought in to do. (And if I’m proven wrong, I will be thrilled to publicly feast on that serving of crow.)
But that said, Graham Mertz has certainly impressed the folks I’ve been speaking to in Alachua County with his leadership abilities and work ethic, which certainly counts for something. And he’s made improvements in terms of how he looks throwing the ball, too. In the spring, there would be stretches where he’d look like a natural, and other moments of… not that. The issue was consistency, and to this point in fall ball, that hasn’t been much of an issue; while of course everyone has good days and bad days, the sine waves are much more even these days.
Mertz hasn’t really been a home run threat as a passer and probably never will be, but he’s been perfectly comfortable doing what he needs to do. Anything within fifteen yards or so, if given a clean pocket, and he’s been pretty accurate for the most part. He’s been particularly reliable on swing passes to the running backs, which might not sound so important… until you remember that running backs are the best ball carriers on the field, and giving them the ball in the open field can spell major trouble for opposing defenses. He’s also looked good on slants, quick crossers, and even some back-shoulder timing throws.
And that’s all Florida needs from him. There’s nobody in Gainesville who’s requesting him to be Joe Burrow or Kyle Trask. Just be a Greg McElroy, manage the game, don’t turn the ball over, make the easy throws, and deliver two or three clutch throws per day, and Florida can suddenly start looking a lot higher for its ceiling in 2023. It’s fall ball, and he’s in a non-contact jersey, but there’s some promise here.
Fresh faces light it up in the secondary
Freshman Dijon Johnson, who once upon a time flipped from Ohio State to Florida, generated some murmurs when word got around that he’d recorded not one but two pick-sixes in one scrimmage. And Dijon Johnson, to be clear, deserves those murmurs, because he’s been great so far. He very well might see the field in meaningful moments this year. But he won’t be the only freshman defensive back who can say that.
Rookie safety Jordan Castell, say the folks I speak with, has a ferocious demeanor when the ball is in the air. There’s one clip of him from a week ago that’s gone viral where he wrestled a ball away from Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman and his defensive coaches swarmed him to celebrate; he does that on a daily basis. Sources say he has this attitude of not even really playing defense on the ball in the air, but going on offense in the game-within-the-game of just attacking the football. And his teammates, young and old alike, have loved it.
Ja’Keem Jackson has also looked great at corner. Everyone who follows recruiting knows the raw speed he brings to the table, but for those “I’ll pay attention when he gets to campus” Florida Gators fans, let me introduce you to this true freshman from Kissimmee: he’s a converted wide receiver-turned-corner with pure sprinter speed to begin with, an even more blinding closing step, and great ball instincts from his days on offense. Perhaps he could use a little bit of technical teaching from Corey Raymond as a corner, but Jackson has wowed people so far and appears to be on pace to see real minutes this fall.
Tight end Arlis Boardingham looks to be the real deal
Florida fans have kind of been burned the last couple of seasons by hyping up tight ends who caught a few passes in spring ball and then didn’t really do a whole lot that fall. When Arlis Boardingham began earning some ink this spring, some of our readers were wary of that and dismissed the hype. But Boardingham hasn’t merely continued his progress from the spring; he’s stepped up in a big way.
The route-running Boardingham has displayed this fall has evoked some pretty awesome comparisons. I won’t repeat them because that’s not fair to either player and I do think they’re hyperbolic, but I will pass on the fact that Boardingham has become increasingly dangerous as a red zone threat. Multiple people have told me that he and sophomore DB Kamari Wilson have gradually developed a respect-based, iron-sharpens-iron rivalry in 1-on-1s.
That’s a good thing, because the Florida Gators are going to need Boardingham to be a dependable pass-catcher with Keon Zippered unavailable. If Boardingham can translate this into on-field success, and Jonathan Odom can complement him as a second trustworthy pass-catching tight end, Mertz’s task suddenly looks a whole lot more managable.
