Florida football has spent a majority of the last decade looking for consistency at quarterback. Some guys flashed early, some took time to settle in, others never figured it out. That history makes Aaron Philo’s first month as Florida’s starter so interesting.
Through Philo’s first four games, he’s completed 63 of 87 attempts for 917 yards, with seven touchdowns and two interceptions, both on dropped passes. His 72.4% completion percentage and 229.3 passing yards per game have led Florida to averaging 53.5 points per game and 530.8 yards per game. How good is that? The Gators are trotting out the second best scoring offense and totaling the fourth most yards per game in the entire FBS. All these numbers become more impactful when compared to the past nine quarterbacks who came before Philo.
Since 2014, Florida’s first-time starters have produced a wide range of results in their first month on the job. Treon Harris posted 464 yards and three touchdowns. Will Grier threw for 755 yards and punched in six scores. Luke Del Rio threw for 998 yards and seven touchdowns, while Kyle Trask unsurprisingly led the group with 1,025 yards and nine touchdowns. The less notable: Feliepe Franks finished with 557 yards to start Florida’s four-win 2017 campaign, while Emory Jones tallied 668 yards and four touchdowns in 2021 … but added five interceptions.
The more recent starters have had different strengths. Graham Mertz was by far the most accurate of the group, completing an unheard of 78% of his passes while throwing for 976 yards. Anthony Richardson produced 876 yards, struggled with accuracy and turnovers, but made up for it with his elite rushing ability. A true freshman version of DJ Lagway threw for 798 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions when he first came onto the scene.
Philo’s first month sits comfortably among all of those.
He may not lead every statistical category, and that’s not necessarily representative of his value. Trask may have thrown for more yards and touchdowns. Mertz may have been more accurate. But Philo has been able to combine many of those previous traits. High completion percentage, solid yardage, touchdown production and protection of the football. It’s the balance that stands out.
Through four starts, Philo has thrown for more yards than Harris, Grier, Franks, Jones, Richardson and Lagway did in their respective first four games. His seven passing touchdowns are tied with Del Rio and only behind Trask. His 72.4% completion only trails Mertz. And all of that has been done on only 87 attempts.
Florida hasn’t needed Philo to carry the entire offense by himself. The Gators have been able to run the ball at an unbelievable level, creating explosive plays and consistently finishing drives in the red zone. Philo has benefited from that balance, much the product of Jadan Baugh, but he has also played an important role in making the entire system work. His ability to keep the offense on schedule, extend drives and avoid the mistakes that stall an offense — that’s what makes his start notable.
Philo isn’t required to match Trask’s production, Mertz’s efficiency or Richardson’s athleticism. Instead, his first month shows a quarterback who has settled into the perfect offense for him rather quickly and has been the engine of arguably the nation’s best offense, which features most of the same players who were here just a year ago, who were incapable then of producing the same results. A lot of that has to do with the addition of the offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, but a lot of that also has to do with the performance of Philo.
The comparison also shows why four games should be viewed as context and not just a final judgement. Several of Florida’s quarterbacks went on to have very different careers from what their first month would’ve implied. A strong start does not guarantee what comes next, just like a bad start doesn’t seal a quarterback’s fate.
But through four games as Florida’s starter, Philo has given the Gators exactly what they’ve needed. He’s been efficient, productive and, most importantly, steady. When his numbers are placed alongside Florida’s previous nine starting quarterbacks, his opening month clearly belongs near the top.
