Mertz Leaves Lasting Impact as He Waits in NFL Draft

If a time machine exists, and you could flash back to his days at the University of Wisconsin, you probably could not see a path to the NFL Draft for outgoing Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz.

Mertz shouldered the entire blame for every loss suffered by the Badgers. Granted, atrocious play calling and archaic offense design was never his issue, but he became the face of the problem. Ever the good soldier, Mertz never complained or whined to a single media member.

When fans burned up phone line and email, questioning his football intelligence, the quarterback said very little. As a result, when the opportunity to blaze a new trail, he jumps at the chance. When the history of this era of Florida football is written, Mertz will be regarded as the consummate teammate, a leader that placed the team ahead of personal concerns.

Head Coach Candor

Billy Napier, sits at a far different spot that he did a year ago. With more pressure but less dread on his soul, Napier leaned on Mertz when most of the world thought that he shouldn't. After Mertz's pro day in March, the Gators head coach extolled his player's virtues.

"Graham is obviously one of my favorite players to coach in my entire 20 years of coaching," he said. "And, you know, just to see him come back in the building, the room lights up when the guy walks in and did a lot for this place, been through some battles. You know, another high value player, in my opinion. Somebody is going to get a guy who brings a ton of experience, production, leadership. Do a lot for an organization and certainly very capable, potentially one day being a starter in the National Football League, in my opinion. So, it's been a ton of fun to get the calls after the interviews."

Normally, you can sense coach speak from a mile away. However, as noted, Napier wears his heart on his sleeve and does not do a great job of hiding his emotions. You never forget who had your back when life did not seem fair.

The key part of his quote centered on doing a lot for an organization. When Mertz suffered a season-ending injury, he could've packed up and left Gainesville. However, he stayed active in team culture, mentoring his replacement in DJ Lagway. The grad transfer did not owe the University of Florida a scintilla of his time or effort. At the same time, Mertz saw the bigger picture.

Overview

While he will never hold the same place in the hearts of Gators faithful as Tim Tebow or Danny Wuerffel, Mertz's time in The Swamp mattered. Whatever the program achieves with Lagway and presumably Napier at the helm, can be traced back to a tenure that did not involve a bushel of wins, but a leader that help mold his replacement, in his quest to bring the Gators back to national prominence.

More From Gators Illustrated