After 4 seasons at Wis, 3 as the starter, Mertz led the Badgers' offense in 32 games, completing 59.1% of his passes with 5,332 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions as a first-team signal-caller. He also rushed for eight scores.
3 Years 19/13 - 5,405 Yds, 38 TD's to 26 Ints, plus 8 rushing TD's to ?? LPF's
The iG's concerns on Mertz is his 26 Ints and his 49 sacks....
After 2 seasons at Lincoln Christian HS in Tulsa, Brown let his team's offense in 27 games, completing 255 of 358, 71.2% passing with 4,416 Yds,
17.3 yds/rec, 68 TD's, 10 Ints. (not throwing mostly 6-8 yard passes to boost his completion %)
He also rushed for 2,335 yds, 7.1 Ypc with 33 TD's to just 1 LPF.
2 Year's 25/2 - 6,751 Total Yds, 101 TD's to 11 T-O's.....
Sometimes HS stats can be skewed by a player that is so much physically bigger or faster than those he's playing against, but that's not the case with Max in HS at 6-2 200.
Max wasn't 6-4 245 and doing back-flips down the field,,, he was just a 2 year walk-on starter QB-dt that won the Okla 3A MVP his Sr year, over the 3A State Champ QB....
Gator's Current Roster Ht/Wt & experience entering 2023:
QB-pp Graham Mertz 6-3 218 rsJr - 4 years
QB-pp Jack Miller III 6-3 222 rsSo - 3 years
QB-dt Max Brown 6-2 212 rsFr - 1 year
(otherwise, if size and longevity are the key -- Micah Leon 6-5 224 rsSr, 5 years)
In the iG's OHO, how long you've been playing (experience) matters little. It's what you put on film, your stats, and your W/L record that shows who and what you are....
If stats didn't matter, then they wouldn't keep them. The iG believes that while the years of playing experience matters somewhat, it's the least of the stats that matter....
I.E. - 5 years of playing experience, but with a 5-60 W/L record for a bad example....
I have noticed that the NFL doesn't draft on a QB's number of years on a team or his total of starts....
Start Mertz, but if he doesn't move the team AND score (Int's / sacks), then have Max ready to go @ Utah....
It seems to me that Brown's running ability would be the best to help the Gator's RB's output, and the new OL ability to keep defenders out of the Gator's backfield, (sacks).
S.I's guess at the Gators 2023 QB Depth Chart:
Mertz > ? Brown or Miller ? > Leon > Leise
https://www.si.com/college/florida/...ing-2023-quarterback-depth-chart-graham-mertz
This subject reminded me of something that happened in church in my
back in the dark ages youth....
At the end of the church service, they pass around the offering plate.
The Deacon begins with the Preacher who put in a $5 bill.
After going around the congregation and then them departing, the Deacon returned to the Preacher to give him the plate. The Preacher sees only about $10 and some change in the plate and so complains that it's not much...
The Deacon responds ---
"If you want to get more out of it, then you're gonna have to put more into it." (the same goes with Fr HS QB's it seems to me...)
It's a year old now, but here's a first impression pod-cast of Max when Billy recruited him.
As dismal as most seem to be concerning the Gator's 2023 team, I still have some hope for what they might be able to accomplish with this younger inexperienced team, coaches and players.....