LSU football will take on the Gators in a little more than 24 hours. Despite this being the 70th all-time meeting between the two schools, it’s the first time the Tiger defense will have faced Florida quarterback Graham Mertz. During Thursday’s weekly press conference, coach Brian Kelly discussed the 5th-year senior and what he brings to the Gator offense.
Florida quarterback Graham Mertz is having one of his best seasons
Not too long ago, Florida quarterback Graham Mertz was in his senior season at Wisconsin and continuing to look unimpressive. It was even more disappointing when you consider his five-star rating coming out of high school.
Through four seasons with the Badgers, he threw the ball 773 times for 5,405 yards, 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions while completing just 59.5 percent of his passes.
However, sometimes, all you need is a change of scenery. Through nine games in 2023, Mertz has thrown the ball 299 times for 2,409 yards, 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions while completing a whopping 73.9 percent of his passes.
That’s a massive improvement, and while it hasn’t necessarily been a recipe for consistent wins, he certainly has the program moving in a good direction.
When asked about the first-year Florida quarterback, coach Brian Kelly gave out some strong praise.
“The offense fits him very well,” the LSU football head coach said on Thursday. “I’ve said this a few times now: he’s completing at about a 75 percent clip, which is highly efficient. I think the offense just really fits him well. He just looks comfortable back there within the structure of the offense, and he’s been really good this year.”
Coach Brian Kelly recruited Mertz out of high school
Notably, this isn’t the first time coach Brian Kelly has been impressed by quarterback Graham Mertz. In fact, when talking to the media earlier this week, he revealed that he’s had his eyes on him since he was in high school in 2019.
While the current Tiger head coach was still at Notre Dame, he made a strong push for the former five-star to try to bring him over to South Bend, IN. However, he ultimately landed at Wisconsin, and despite the high expectations, his career didn’t exactly pan out as many had hoped.
“I recruited him and thought he was an outstanding player coming out of high school – thought highly of him,” Kelly said. “I don’t know whether it was a system fit or whatever it was at Wisconsin.
“Maybe didn’t have the kind of career that he might have wanted, but he’s certainly living up to the expectations that I saw for him coming out of high school.”
So far, in 2023, the LSU football defense is allowing 236.3 yards through the air per game, good enough for 80th in the country. With Mertz’s efficiency this season, he could tear the Tiger cornerbacks apart if not kept in check.
LSU football vs. Florida will occur this Saturday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m. CST in Tiger Stadium. The game will be available to watch live from home on ESPN.
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