Florida QB Graham Mertz claims he returned to college football in 2024 because he has "unfinished business" with the Gators

Graham Mertz had his most productive season in college football last season while playing for Florida.

The quarterback transferred to the Gators after four seasons at Wisconsin. He was able to adequately relaunch his career in Gainesville despite the team's poor outing.

While he had the opportunity to declare for the draft, Mertz decided to return for one more season. Explaining his decision not to forgo his remaining year of eligibility, Graham Mertz said that he has "unfinished business" at Florida following a disappointing 2023 season.

“I mean obviously you play this game your whole life, your dream is to go to the NFL. For me, when you have that option in front of you, you are really weighing both sides to it,” Mertz said.

“My big thing was I felt like we left a lot out there this year, and I want to finish my career the right way, Mertz said following Florida’s first spring practice of 2024. “It just felt like there was unfinished business that I needed to attend to.”

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Graham Mertz not satisfied with Florida’s performance last season

Florida had a disappointing season in 2023. It ended the regular season with a 5-7 record, missing out on a bowl game. It marked another season of the program trying to find its footing in the college football landscape.

While Graham Mertz put up an impressive showing, throwing for 2,903 yards and 20 touchdowns, the quarterback wasn't satisfied with the previous season due to the Gators’ struggles.

He believes the team's success should be the drive and not personal achievement.

“I don’t really place my satisfaction on that. Frankly, I was unsatisfied with last year,” Mertz said. “I base my satisfaction off of ‘Did we win every game?’ And I think that’s the only way to go about playing this game and being at the quarterback position.”

“I think that’s what should drive you. I don’t really ever try to put weight into external things. Good, bad or ugly, because I personally don’t think that has any impact on how I’m doing my job. It’s ‘Are you here and are you doing your job to the best of your ability?’”

Graham Mertz is expected to keep the starting job at Florida next season.

The quarterback will play a crucial role in the Gators’ bid for a resurgence in 2024. However, it's worth noting that Florida has arguably the toughest schedule in the upcoming college football season.