‘No Timeline’: Florida’s QB Battle Still Wide Open
As the Florida football season opener against FAU on Sept. 5 rapidly approaches, the Gators coaching staff entered fall camp knowing the clock on the quarterback decision has almost expired.
Redshirt sophomore Aaron Philo and redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. have the next several weeks of camp and preseason scrimmages to try to take an edge in the battle. However, even after the starter gets named, the decision won’t be set in stone.
“There’s no timeline,” offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said Tuesday. “It’s always an evaluation. Just because you’re the starter, you’ve got to go play good. Coach [Steve] Spurrier used to run them in and out, didn’t he?”
Both would enter the season as first-time starters. Philo spent 2024 and 2025 backing up Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King while Jones spent 2025 behind Florida quarterback DJ Lagway.
After Faulkner’s hiring Dec. 11 to replace Russ Callaway, Philo followed Faulkner to Florida in the transfer portal, bringing two years of experience under his system. However, Philo doesn’t plan to use his familiarity as an advantage to secure the job.
“In the quarterback room, it’s an open book,” Philo said Friday. “We don’t keep secrets. We’re all trying to help each other at the end of the day, and it’s not like I’m trying to keep anything in the playbook from anybody. If there’s something out there that I see, I’m going to tell them to help them out as much as I can.”
In the offseason, Jones focused on learning Faulkner’s complex offensive scheme by taking notes and doing mental walkthroughs when home. Faulkner found Jones’ quick adaptability to the system impressive.
“What’s been unique is how well he’s doing this stuff, because it’s not easy to pick up,” Faulkner said. “It’s a lot. He’s done a great job of really getting caught up to speed.”
Florida fans received their first real look at the two quarterbacks at the Orange & Blue April 11. In his Ben Hill Griffin Stadium debut, Philo went 21-of-28 for 193 yards. After a shaky start, throwing two interceptions, Philo found his game, completing two touchdowns, including a 31-yard touchdown to Vernell Brown III.
As Philo entered his first summer as a Gator, Sumrall emphasized the need to continue developing relationships while fine-tuning his game.
“Turnovers, not trying to force anything, trying to do a better job of protecting the ball, playing winning football,” Philo said. “Obviously just keep getting reps with those guys out there. Keep building chemistry.”
Jones ended the spring game with two touchdown passes, highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown to Micah Mays. After proving his skill, going 13-of-17 for 210 yards, Jones entered the offseason wanting to take a step up both on and off the field.
“In the spring, you’re kind of setting yourself up because [players] want to see what you can do because they got to get respect for you [by knowing] what you can do on the field before you become a vocal leader,” Jones said Friday. “[Coach Sumrall] wanted to see me become a more vocal leader [and] hold guys more accountable, so in the summer, I pretty much did that.”
The two spent their summer pushing each other in the weight room, lifting on the same squat rack. Both made strides with Philo dropping around 10 pounds of fat while gaining 7 pounds of lean muscle, and Jones nearly hitting 22 mph on the treadmill.
“I feel like we’re very similar in a lot of ways just about how we approach everything in the building, outside the building, how we handle ourselves,” Philo said. “I feel like we’ve learned a lot from each other, and I feel like competing with each other, it’s easy to build off each other.”
Philo appeared in three games for the Yellow Jackets in 2025, highlighted by one start against Gardner-Webb on Sept 6., throwing for 373 yards with a 75% completion rate during the 59-12 win.
Jones appeared in two games last season, making his collegiate debut Aug. 30 in the second half of the season opener against LIU, completing 12-of-18 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
Philo and Jones know only one can win the starting role, but they hold high praise for each other’s game.
“He’s a really smart player,” Philo said. “He understands the defense really well. He’s got a really strong arm.”
“He knows where to go with the football,” Jones said. “[Has] quick delivery, can make any throw, has a great arm and he’s very decisive.”
Regardless of which guy takes the first snap in the Swamp, Faulkner has full confidence in both.
“We’re going to find the best quarterback for the University of Florida, and the guy [that is] going to go out there and give us the best chance to win,” Faulkner said. “I like them both. They’ve both come a long way [and] I think you can win with both.”
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