In pivotal Year 3, Florida's Napier leaning on QB Mertz - ESPN

DALLAS — As Florida coach Billy Napier enters a pivotal third season with the Gators, his case for optimism after back-to-back losing season starts with quarterback Graham Mertz.

Mertz, a Wisconsin transfer entering his second season at Florida, improved his completion percentage by a staggering 15% last year, finishing just under 73%. That marked the best in the SEC and No. 3 in the country.

«He's one of the best quarterbacks in America,» Napier said, adding that he expects the NFL to develop a strong interested in Mertz.

Mertz will need to have another strong season, as Florida has a schedule that includes the country's toughest nonconference schedule, which includes Miami, Florida State and UCF. The back-to-back losing seasons combined with the schedule have made Napier the speculative favorite among SEC coaches to be fired this year.

Napier's buyout would be more than $26 million if he's fired come Dec. 1.

«I don't know if I would say I feel pressure,» Napier said. «I mean, I just think I'm a little bit more aware like this game is a conditional game. I mean, people love you when you win. People don't like you when you lose.

»I want it for our players. That's what I would say. I think I've observed how hard they've worked. Not been easy here the last couple of years now. This is not for the faint of heart. And then the game has evolved and changed every six months."

When Napier took over at Florida following the 2021 season, he said the team earned «zero dollars in NIL.» That has transitioned to the Gators «getting ready to pay our team $12.5 million to $15 million here over the next couple years.»

Napier said that he's looked at his tenure as having a Year 0, Year 1 and now entering Year 2, and outlined how much has