Graham Mertz Wins Florida QB Battle, Looks To Wash Away Past Struggles At Wisconsin

The Florida Gators are riding with Graham Mertz at QB.

The former Wisconsin Badgers QB was officially named the starter Friday for the team's week one matchup against Utah.

Mertz, a former top prep recruit, beat out former Ohio State transfer Jack Miller to win the starting role.

The Florida Gators will start Graham Mertz at QB. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Florida head coach Billy Napier told the media the following about the decision (via CBS Sports):

I think the big thing I've been impressed with is just his ability to come in and learn the system, translate what he knows and apply that to our system. And then just, you know, relentless in approach. Probably's worked as hard as any player on our team. Probably as hard as a lot of players that I've been around, you know, in terms of the unseen hours, right? Those are what I'm talking about specifically, and the self-discipline, to have a system, a process, a routine, to work, to connect with players, ask very intelligent questions, and is anticipating problems, right. So, Graham's done a great job and he's worked from the minute he pulled up in the parking lot until, you know, just a while ago, he's continued to work to improve, so been very pleased in that regard," Napier continued. "The level of professionalism here that I think is respected.

Florida rolls with Graham Mertz at QB.

Mertz didn't transfer to Florida to ride the bench. He went to Gainesville with the expectation of starting, and the job is now officially his.

The question is whether or not he can take over and wash away the memories of his time with Wisconsin.

Mertz chose the Badgers over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Oregon and multiple other major programs. The former elite recruit was supposed to be the man who revolutionized Wisconsin's offense. Mertz was the highest-rated QB recruit in Wisconsin history.

Graham Mertz will start at QB for the Florida Gators. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

However, he fell very short of expectations. He left Wisconsin with 38 passing touchdowns, 26 interceptions, 5,404 passing yards and a completion rate of 59.5%. Mertz regularly showed flashes of great potential, but was never able to find any consistency.

Not only could the Kansas prep product not find consistency, but he oversaw the worst offense the team had in years. The decision to go with Mertz over Jack Coan played a large role in Paul Chryst losing his job.

Graham Mertz struggled with the Wisconsin Badgers. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

A new start for Mertz.

While a lot of Wisconsin fans are glad to see Mertz far away from Madison - myself included - I also hope many are still pulling for him.

The issues with the Badgers weren't all his fault. He simply wasn't put in a position to win. Now, he's with Billy Napier and the Gators.

Florida names Graham Mertz starting QB. (Credit: Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK)

All the physical tools are there. Graham Mertz has the ability to make any throw necessary, but he has never shown the ability to do it on command and with the consistency required to win.

One of the major issues at Wisconsin was he wasn't geared to run a pro style offense from under center, especially one that relied heavily on play-action.

If Florida rolls with him out of shotgun, lets him make quick reads and just sling it, then Mertz could be very successful.

Will Graham Mertz be a success with the Florida Gators? (Credit: Alan Youngblood / USA TODAY NETWORK)

There's definitely no reason to not cheer for him if you're a Wisconsin fan. It didn't work in Madison. That's life. It would be awesome to see him light up the SEC. Now, will that happen? Time will tell, but he has everything he could ever want officially at his fingertips.