Third-string quarterback Aidan Warner thrusted into Florida football spotlight amid continuous injuries

The Gators will turn to redshirt freshman Warner for the foreseeable future

hen Florida redshirt freshman quarterback Aidan Warner announced he was transferring from Yale to UF in Spring 2024, he wasn’t greeted with words of encouragement from his peers.

The Gators football program is known for earning commitments from top-level high school athletes, making it difficult for players who aren’t in the team’s starting lineup to see much playing time. This is something Warner became all too familiar with when arriving at UF.

Warner was named the third-string quarterback for the Gators before the season started, sitting behind sixth-year redshirt senior quarterback Graham Mertz, and highly coveted five-star true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway.

“A lot of people were telling me, ‘Are you done playing football?’” Warner said. “‘You’re gonna go there and sit the bench,’ I put my head down and decided that I was gonna work and prove myself. I’m kind of shocked myself that I am where I am right now. I never would have expected this.”

The Winter Park, Florida native spent his freshman season redshirting as a backup quarterback at Yale before deciding to pack his bags and move to Gainesville.

Adapting to a new lifestyle after moving from Connecticut to Florida was an uphill battle for Warner, when he found out he had a significant injury that he was never aware of.

Warner tore his ACL during his final week of practice last season at Yale, he said. Despite the evident skepticism of his peers, he was welcomed with open arms by his teammates at Florida.   “It was a tough first month here [at Florida],” Warner said.

Mertz has played an integral role in the locker room, not only as Florida’s starting quarterback but also as a leader for younger players on the team such as Warner. Growing up a Gators fan, Warner has always had a strong affinity for UF.

While there’s a significant difference between cheering on Florida’s football team from the bleachers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and running onto the field as the starting quarterback,  Mertz has done his part in preparing Warner for this transition.

“I kind of fit in with Graham,” Warner said. “I think our personalities are very similar. We both have big personalities.”

Just a few weeks ago, Florida head coach Billy Napier said Warner was “standing around eating ice cream.” But when the Gators faced the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville Nov. 2, the last thing on his mind was hot fudge or rainbow sprinkles.

With just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter of UF’s game against UGA, Lagway endured a significant hamstring injury that could sideline the true freshman for an unknown amount of time — maybe the rest of the season.