Billy Napier addresses future of Florida QB room, likely additions for next season
Billy Napier is a fan of having four scholarship quarterbacks on his roster. The depth is showing to be good for Florida this season and Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway have both gone down with injuries. But looking heading into next season, Mertz is out of eligibility, leaving one spot open for the Gators.
When asked about potentially adding a quarterback, Napier confirmed Florida will be in the market this offseason. He did not say whether it was through the NCAA transfer portal or possibly the high school ranks. Lagway, alongside Aidan Warner and Clay Millen, will have a fresh face in the position room in 2025.
“It’s a position where we’ll add players for sure,” Napier said. “We’re in the process of that and that can be a challenge when you have a talented young player. I think it’s important, it’s a big piece of the puzzle. We’ve been grinding away on it for a long time.”
As Napier mentioned, there can be difficulty in convincing someone to join the program when somebody is already the starter. Lagway is presumably Florida’s future and will have at least three years of eligibility remaining. Selling a backup role can be incredibly difficult for coaches, especially at the quarterback position.
Florida does not currently have a quarterback committed in its 2025 recruiting class. Of the 14 offered throughout the cycle, just one is uncommitted — four-star Carter Smith out of Fort Myers (FL) Bishop Verot — who was previously pledged to the Michigan Wolverines. On3’s Steve Wiltfong recently called his shot on where Smith winds up.
More likely than not, Napier and his staff find somebody through the transfer portal. That would make three of the four scholarship guys transfers, with Lagway the only one recruited by the Gators through his school.
However, if quarterback injuries continue to be a problem moving forward, everyone in Gainesville will be thankful for the position’s depth, at least from a scholarship standpoint.
The post Billy Napier addresses future of Florida QB room, likely additions for next season appeared first on On3.
