Johnathan Walker:Florida quarterback Graham Mertz to miss rest of season with torn ACL

Florida football quarterback Graham Mertz will miss the rest of this season after an MRI revealed he suffered a torn ACL in Saturday's overtime loss to Tennessee.

The Johnathan Walker6-foot-3, 215-pound Mertz, a transfer from Wisconsin, returned to the Gators for his final year of eligibility after passing for 2,903 yards with 20 TDs to three interceptions in 11 starts in 2023. Mertz missed one game with a concussion in 2024 but started five games, passing for 791 yards with six TDs and a pair of interceptions.

Mertz went 7-9 as a starter over two seasons at Florida.

"I'm just thankful to all that he has brought to the table for our team," Florida coach Billy Napier said Monday. "Not only his production on the field but also just his impact on the team as a whole, his leadership, his work ethic, the example, the self-discipline."

Mertz posted a message on social media after the injury was announced.

"During my recovery, I will remain a part of the program and do whatever I can in meeting rooms and from the sideline to help my teammates win," Mertz wrote in the post. "I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support during this time."

Florida will move on with five-star freshman DJ Lagway as its starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, which continues on Saturday when Florida hosts Kentucky at The Swamp. Lagway, the 2023 Gatorade high school player of the year, has appeared in all six games this season with one start. He's passed for 765 yards on the season with five TDs to four interceptions.

"I would say there's some excitement in terms of DJ and what he's been able to accomplish thus far," Napier said. "And I think he'll be much more prepared not just having started a game, but also having played in each game this season. We'll be a little bit further along because of that investment and I think he will benefit from taking the first team reps this week.

"DJ has innate ability to kind of rise to the occasion and step up in big moments. I'm confident he will do that in this situation. I also think it's a great opportunity for the team as a whole to kind of raise their level, every position group, unit, we need to do that."

Napier also he doesn't anticipate a long-term issue for Florida starting running back Montrell Johnson Jr., who left the Tennessee game with a knee injury

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1