Florida Football: Five most important players for the Gators in 2023
![Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) walks off the field during fall football practice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, August 5, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F1ad110c4265ff30831e9df4afcabfb64415da2afd7ad395d5f527387ccaa9e77.jpg "Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) walks off the field during fall football practice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, August 5, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]")
We all know that football is a team game, and Florida football has to rely on 11 players every play to do their job to ensure the desirable outcome. If one player fails at their job, the entire operation falls apart.
But some players are a bit more valuable than others, and if the Gators are going to have a solid season, these are the five players that have to perform at their peak in 2023.
Florida Football Important Players: Graham Mertz
Before you run off to Twitter or Reddit, remember this list is of the most important players for the Gators to succeed, not necessarily who the “best” players are on Florida’s roster.
And this is a bit of a cop-out as the common argument in football is that your quarterback is the most important player on your team regardless if it is Graham Mertz, Max Brown, or Jake from State Farm.
We all have our trepidations about Mertz, and there is no bigger wild card on the team than him. If he can get under center and make accurate throws while not turning the ball over, Billy Napier can craft an offense with the running game that will keep the ball moving for Florida.
If Mertz comes in and can’t do those things, Napier might be forced to turn to Brown.
Brown was considered the 1,558th best prospect in the country in 2022, so the leap of faith would be huge.
Yes, Kyle Trask was rated the 2,065th best prospect in 2016, so anything is possible. It would mean if Mertz isn’t the guy, then Florida football would have to catch lightning in a bottle twice.