Florida football: 3 most impactful newcomers for 2023

Last, but certainly not least, is Graham Mertz.

While I didn’t have a single 2023 recruiting class member on this list, there were a few I nearly chose such as Kelby Collins, Ja’Keem Jackson, and Aidan Mizell, but I just think the transfers are going to have the biggest immediate impacts on the Gators this season, led by Mertz.

The former Wisconsin quarterback never really lived up to his lofty recruiting rankings from 2019 when he was listed as the No. 65 prospect nationally and the third-best pro-style quarterback, per 247Sports. He was listed ahead of guys like Taulia Tagovailoa, Sam Howell, Max Duggan, KJ Jefferson, Connor Bazelak, Kedon Slovis, and Dillon Gabriel. You could argue that all of those guys have had more impressive careers to this point.

But Mertz left Wisconsin and transferred to Florida because he needed a change of scenery. What he had done in Madison had become stale and he needed a fresh outlook.

Florida may be the perfect place for him to come in and have a career resurgence. We’ve seen other quarterbacks come to the SEC and have their careers brought back to life and I just think Mertz is too naturally talented to just fade into irrelevance.

Forget his career completion rate of 59.5 percent or his 26 interceptions to just 38 touchdown passes or the fact that he had never eclipsed 2,200 yards in a single season at Wisconsin, I think Mertz is going to shock some people in 2023.