The emphasis on short passes was one of Florida Football’s offensive defining characteristics in 2023. Billy Napier found solace in it, partly due to necessity and partly as a form of familiarity.

However, the Gators will need to figure out how to get one of their rising stars downfield more frequently than they did in 2023 if they want to advance in 2024.

Go Long, Florida Football!

Anthony Richardson had the sixth-highest average in the nation in 2022 among quarterbacks who completed at least 300 dropbacks, averaging 11.5 yards per passing attempt.

Graham Mertz had the second-lowest average depth of target in the nation in 2023 out of the 94 quarterbacks who saw at least 300 dropbacks: 6.7 yards.

Tre Wilson’s use by Florida served as a metaphor for Mertz’s dearth of downfield attempts. Despite having a strong rookie campaign (544 receiving yards), a closer examination of his stats shows how rarely Napier actually sent him down the field.

Wilson had the lowest average depth of target in the nation among the 153 wide receivers with at least 70 targets in 2023 (i.e., when targeted, Wilson was 2.8 yards off the line of scrimmage). Wilson also had the third-lowest yards per reception nationally despite having the 18th-highest average yards after the catch.

Even though Wilson was only given credit for two challenged catches in 2023, it appears that he is still capable of making contested catches down the field based on what we have seen so far in training camp. This week at practice, he was observed jumping over Sharif Denson to make an endzone catch.

Went up and got it. 👀#GoGators | @ewil_iii pic.twitter.com/kJOWfbqdNy

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 1, 2024

This season, getting Wilson downfield more frequently will be essential to unleashing Florida’s offensive potential. Although Chimere Dike is starting to show promise as a slot option and had a target depth of almost the same in 2022 at Wisconsin when he played alongside Graham Mertz as Ricky Pearsall did in 2023, Dike’s reception percentage was 23% lower than Pearsall’s (62% vs. 85%).

Should Wilson is reduced to a role akin to that of 2023, Florida’s attack will resemble that of that year very soon, with a less potent Pearsall serving as the downfield threat.

However, if Florida can get Wilson more involved and the offensive line continues to play well, we might have a formidable offense in 2024 that can outscore opponents in a variety of ways.

 

The only player from Florida Football to be added to the Maxwell Award watch list is Graham Mertz.

There have been instances this offseason when Graham Mertz has gone unappreciated. When he revealed he was moving to Gainesville from Wisconsin, he wasn’t a very thrilling addition to Florida Football, but he more than demonstrated his value in the 2023 campaign.

Mertz was therefore added to the Maxwell Award Watch List that was unveiled today, despite the fact that he has been left off of a few other lists this offseason.

Florida Football: Don’t Miss It
Mertz completed 72% of his 2,910 passing yards last year. His season’s most noteworthy aspect was his 20 touchdowns versus just three interceptions. Among quarterbacks who took at least 300 dropbacks, Pro Football Focus ranked him sixth in the SEC and thirty-first overall.

However, Mertz has discovered that most national critics are still unaware of him, in part because to Florida’s disappointing 5-7 season in 2023.

Mertz is on the preseason watchlist provided by the Maxwell Award, which is given to the top quarterback in the country. This means that the award is at least keeping an eye on Mertz.

Other quarterbacks being studied on the long list are Byrum Brown from USF, KJ Jefferson from UCF, DJ Uiagalelei from FSU, and Cam Ward from Miami in the Sunshine State.

Mertz wasn’t guaranteed to be featured among those watched, though, given that Tre Wilson and Montrell Johnson were unable to make the wide receiver and runningback watchlists, respectively.

All of the QBs on the list are listed below:

Joey Aguilar, Senior at Appalachian State

Drew Allar, junior at Penn State

Jackson Arnold, a sophomore from Oklahoma

Carson Beck, a senior in Georgia

Byrum Brown, a sophomore from South Florida

Thomas Castellanos, junior at Boston College

Brady Cook, Senior, Missouri

Jalon Daniels, a senior from Kansas

Jaxson Dart, Senior at Ole Miss

Junior, Virginia Tech, and Kyron Drones

Junior Quinn Ewers, Texas

Noah Fifita, a sophomore from Arizona

Junior TJ Finley, Western Kentucky

Senior Dequan Finn of Baylor

Dillon Gabriel, Senior in Oregon

Garrett Greene, Senior, West Virginia

Senior Seth Henigan, Memphis

SenioR, Will Howard, Ohio State

Nico Iamaleava, RS Freshman, Tennessee

KJ Jefferson, Senior at UCF

Avery Johnson, sophomore at Kansas State

Haynes King, junior at Georgia Tech

Cade Klubnik, Junior, Clemson

Senior Riley Leonard of Notre Dame

Senior at NC State, Grayson McCall

Jordan McCloud, Senior at Texas State

Senior Kyle McCord from Syracuse

Graham Mertz, Senior, Florida

Junior Jalen Milroe, Alabama

Junior Miler Moss, USC

Garrett Nussmeier, junior at LSU

Senior Cameron Rising, Utah

Senior Will Rogers, Washington

Junior, Kaidon Salter, Liberty

Shedeur Sanders, Senior, Colorado

Senior Brayden Schager, Hawaii

Senior Tyler Shough from Louisville

Junior Preston Stone, SMU

DJ Uiagalelei, Senior at Florida State

Cam Ward, Senior, Miami

Conner Weigman, sophomore at Texas A&M