When 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.
As Lagway was carted off the field following his injury, Warner was called to lead the Gators to victory in perhaps the most crucial and adverse moment of Florida’s 2024 season. Warner was unable to secure the win for the Gators, although his teammates still took note of his efforts in the contest.
“I'm proud of Aidan and the way he stepped up,” UF senior wide receiver Chimere Dike said. “My favorite thing about the way he played was he didn't flinch. We could see [in] his eyes he was out there competing. He's going to continue to get better.”
Warner’s abilities on the football field have been closeted this season, largely in part to the aforementioned roles of Lagway and Mertz. Nevertheless, the Yale transfer has already shown significant progress in Florida’s recent practices.
Two weeks ago, Warner started taking reps with UF’s second-string offensive unit, Napier said. It’s a role that Warner has thrived in. However, it will need to translate to the field on game days for the Gators to have any hope of having a successful end to their season.
“I have confidence in him,” Napier said. “He's had some really good practices the last couple weeks. The kids love him. He has got some self-confidence and he's got arm talent. He cares about Florida. So we'll rally around him.”
Florida will hit the road this week to take on No. 5 Texas in Austin Saturday at noon ET.
Contact Max Tucker at Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
