From bad news to worse for Gators and Graham Mertz: Latest injury update

As if the football gods wanted to rub a little salt in the wound for Florida fans, the painful overtime loss to Tennessee has some bad news on the injury front piled on as well.

Per CBS Sports college sports reporter Matt Zenitz, quarterback Graham Mertz is expected to miss the rest of the season after the fluke knee injury he suffered in Saturday's crushing loss.

Mertz suffered a non-contact injury to his left leg after throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Arlis Boardingham in the third quarter to give Florida a 10-0 lead

This means that freshman quarterback DJ Lagway is now going to be the full-time starter and finisher, rather than the two-quarterback platoon system that head coach Billy Napier had been employing.

Lagway played well against Tennessee and almost led the Gators to a victory over the No. 11 Vols, who dropped from from No. 8 after the close call against Florida.

On the season, Lagway has completed 47 of 72 pass attempts, with five touchdowns and four interceptions. He has also rushed 24 times for 50 yards.

While it's never good to hear season-ending injury news, this is particularly sad for Mertz -- who transferred to Florida in 2023 after four seasons at Wisconsin, and was looked to as a solid veteran presence on the field -- as this is his final year of eligibility.