Florida football has operated a two-quarterback system featuring Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway through the first four weeks of 2024. The Gators bounced back from a Week 3 loss to Texas A&M with a 45-28 road win over Mississippi State on Saturday. Both quarterbacks saw time in the win, after which Steve Spurrier gave his thoughts on how head coach Billy Napier could manage the position moving forward.

“Yeah, it’s interesting how, after Lagway had that super game against Samford, everybody’s ready to put him in there. Now, everybody’s back to, ‘Well, Mertz is our man,'” Spurrier said on the Another Dooley Noted Podcast. “(Mertz) played very well. Lagway played well also last week… Maybe just keep playing them however we did last week? But, then again, if one of them is clearly having a good game, I would think he’d play most of it.”

“When you’ve got two that are really good, though? I mean, you’ve got to play them somehow or another… If one is not playing real well, then the other one goes.”

While both quarterbacks have shown promise early, it's unusual for a team to commit to a committee system late into a season.

Who will emerge as Florida's QB1 this season?

Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) and Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) participate in a drill during fall football practice at Heavener Football Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
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Mertz has been Florida's primary passer in the games he's been active, completing 34-of-51 passes for 617 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. However, with Mertz sidelined by a concussion for a Week 2 matchup with Samford, Lagway impressed, completing 18-of-25 passes for 456 yards and three touchdowns.

The duo saw a near-even split in passing attempts during a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M in Week 3. However, Mertz saw a lead role in the offense against Mississippi State, completing 21-of-23 passes for 201 yards and three scores for Florida football. Meanwhile, Lagway was 7-of-7 for 76 yards.

“I think you’re just evaluating how the week went, just in terms of Graham being back healthy,” Napier said after the win, per 247 Sports' Graham Hall. “[Graham] really was impressive this week in practice, I thought he had a great week – just really sharp. The ball was jumping out of his hand. And then DJ obviously got some great experience last week, and then we just kind of went with our gut there, kind of what we felt like was best for the team.”

“We’re still committed to playing DJ. I think today, he showed that he’ll get a little better the more experience that he gets, I think he’ll improve. So I think we’re getting the best of both worlds there. Both guys make our team better. We used DJ’s legs a little bit today, knowing that Graham was really healthy. So again, I think this is the best thing for our team. And both guys play really well.”

Napier will have a buy week to further evaluate the quarterback situation before Florida football hosts UCF on Oct. 5.