Graham Mertz, the American football quarterback for the Florida Gators, was born on December 6, 2000. He was a player for the Wisconsin Badgers before transferring to Florida in 2023. ESPN and 247 Sports both graded Blue Valley North High School's Mertz as a four-star recruit. He was also rated the best pocket passer in the class of 2019.
He is the son of Ron Mertz, who was himself a college footballer in the early 1990s, playing as an offensive linesman at Minnesota. Graham has two sisters, and both played baseball at the college level. His sister Lauren played the sport for Kansas State while Mya played for the Drake Bulldogs.
Also Read: Who is Graham Mertz dating?
Graham Mertz’s High School
Graham Mertz attended Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kansas, USA. Bishop Miege High School, located in Roeland Park, Kansas, was Mertz's high school for the first two years. He supported all-state quarterback Carter Putz while playing high school football there. Mertz changed schools to Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kansas, prior to his junior year. As a junior, he led Blue Valley North to the Class 6A state championship.As a senior, he led the team to the state runner-up position. After high school, Mertz chose to enlist with the Wisconsin Badgers in October 2017.
Mertz passed for 3,886 yards and a state-record 51 touchdowns in his senior year, completing 61.1% of his passes. He was the 2018 Gatorade Kansas Football Player of the Year and a finalist in the Elite 11 quarterback competition. Graham's senior season earned him an invitation to the All-American Bowl, where he won game MVP and set a bowl record with five touchdown passes. According to ESPN, he was the best pocket passer in the 2019 class and the 21st-best recruit overall. According to the 247Sports Composite, Mertz is the third-highest-rated pro-style quarterback, the highest-rated Kansas recruit, and the 65th-highest-rated recruit overall.
Graham Mentz College Career
Graham Mentz began his college career with the Wisconsin Badgers. Mertz played in just two games for the Badgers in 2019 as a freshman. He completed 90% of his passes for an average of 7.3 yards per pass but only passed for 73 yards on 10 attempts. He also took one sack and had an outstanding quarterback rating of 97.1. Mertz did not have any touchdowns.
During his sophomore season in 2020, he saw action in seven games and completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 1238 yards on 194 attempts, averaging 6.4 yards per pass. He also had nine touchdowns and 12 sacks, along with an 84.1 quarterback rating. He completed 27 runs at a pace of 4.0 yards per rush for 109 yards overall. In 2021, Mertz participated in 13 games as a junior. Throughout the season, he had a quarterback rating of 75.5, passed for 1958 yards on 286 attempts, and averaged 6.8 yards per attempt with a completion percentage of 59.1, 10 touchdowns, and 11 sacks.
As a senior in 2022, Mertz played in 12 games and completed 57.1 percent of his passes for an average of 7.4 yards per pass and 2125 yards passing with 19 touchdowns. He also took 23 sacks and finished with an 88.1 quarterback rating. After announcing in December 2022 that he would be using the transfer portal, Mertz transferred and joined the Florida Gators in the spring semester of 2023. In 2023, he started 10 games for the Gators, completing 261 passes for 2,903 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also made 41 rushing attempts for 4 touchdowns.
Also Read: Where is Graham Mertz from?
FAQ's On Graham Mertz’s High School
A. Graham Mertz was born on December 6, 2000, in Overland Park, Kansas, USA.
A. Graham Mertz attended Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kansas.
A. Graham Mertz is an American football quarterback.
A. Graham Mertz stands 6 feet 3 inches, or 191 cm tall.
A. Graham Mertz transferred to the Florida Gators in the spring semester of 2023.