Aaron Philo locks in on a target at Tuesday's practice. (Photo: Ethan Roy/UAA Communications)
Finish Line For Florida's QB Race Far Away
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 | Football
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By: Ryan Roddy, FloridaGators.com Writing Intern
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators returned to practice on Tuesday morning, their first on-field workout since coming back from spring break.
The week away didn't alter the forecast of the quarterback battle.
"We got a long way to go to identify who's going to be the trigger man that gets the opportunity to start game one," UF head coach Jon Sumrall said.
However, Sumrall expressed confidence in the position group following practice, and before Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr., the front-runners to start, spoke to reporters for the first time during spring camp.
"They are doing well is supporting each other. They're challenging each other, but they're doing it in a healthy competitive way," Sumrall said. "I tell them all the time, you don't elevate by pushing someone else down. And really, someone else elevating should help you elevate. Like, and so I like how they're competing with each other, not against each other."
Philo and Jones are grouped in position drills and have both taken reps with the first and second groups in team drills.
"Both guys are doing a great job. They really are," Sumrall said. "Both guys are doing some things that excite you and feel like we could play winning football with either."
Philo and Jones each have unique advantages in the highly anticipated and contested battle to determine who will be under center for the Gators in 2026, as detailed by Sumrall
Sophomore Tramell Jones Jr. said he is much healthier in spring camp this year compared to his freshman season. (Photo: Rachel Frenchman/UAA Communications)
Philo, a Georgia Tech transfer, knows the Buster Faulkner system. It may not be the exact same system fans saw developed in Midtown Atlanta, but the relationship between an offensive coordinator and a quarterback is important.
"He was really the first person that I felt like kind of believed in me out of high school," Philo said of Faulkner. "He recruited me to Georgia Tech, and you know, I just felt like he's believed in me from the start."
A native of Bogart, Ga., Philo has an edge in experience. As a Yellow Jacket, he threw for 938 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, completing 57.8% of his passes across two seasons.
What has not changed for Philo since joining the Gators is his hate for the Georgia Bulldogs.
He said he dislikes Georgia "a lot," wants to beat them "real bad," and has always hated them, even though his girlfriend is a UGA student and has always been a Bulldogs fan.
The only other quarterback in the room who has started a game for Florida is Aidan Warner.
While Jones played for the orange and blue as a true freshman last season, it was in low-leverage situations: with a big lead against Long Island University and a big deficit at Kentucky, tallying 21 completions on 35 attempts (60%) with 191 passing yards and two touchdowns.
But Jones has a year under his belt at Florida. He has settled into Gainesville, knows the expectations, knows the environment, but most importantly, knows the people.
The former Mandarin Mustang knows not just his teammates, like fellow sophomores such as receivers Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson, but his support staff, the people making his smoothies, holding the door for him, muddying his footballs, etc.
Change is not easy. Digging his cleats into the same grass he did a year ago may loom large as an advantage when looking beyond physicals.
When Jones is out there during practice, he exudes confidence with his visible poise.
"Just a natural moxie young guy," Sumrall said. "He's got a quiet confidence about him. He's very easy to relate to and sort of gravitate to."
In the first two weeks of spring camp, Jones appeared more and more comfortable with each throw.
Maybe it is not all confidence, but rather his health.
"Last year I came in, I wasn't healthy, didn't have a healthy spring," Jones said. "So I know this spring is the first year I'm able to be 100 percent and be back on my feet."
For Philo, his arm talent cannot be mistaken. When he tosses a ball, it looks natural and fluent.
A student of the game, he has spent a couple more years in the college ranks compared to Jones.
"He's a good decision maker, he's got a quick release, good arm, can make all the throws, competitive, has some leadership traits that are intangible that you like," Sumrall said.
To Sumrall, both QBs have something in common, a huge plus, especially in the Faulkner System: their ability to run.
From breaking the pocket to possibly breaking records, there will be opportunities for the Florida quarterback, whoever it may be, to be on the run in 2026.
With that being said, the same quarterback that trots out against Florida Atlantic may be different from who trots out against Campbell in week two, according to Sumrall.
The competition for the starter may never end and could be contingent on game-to-game performance, leadership and execution.
"You can start game one and it doesn't mean you're starting game two or three or four," Sumrall said. "You gotta play even if you get the nod for game one."
Both the aforementioned quarterbacks and the head coach praised freshman Will Griffin, who has the physical tools and ability to be a starting quarterback and may be a great player when he gets his opportunity, whether that be this season or in the seasons that follow.
Everyone wants to be a starter. Although Sumrall has stressed that the quarterbacks are not competing against each other, but with each other.
The nature of the competition, not bred with toxicity and trash talk, has allowed each guy to learn, take notes from each other's work, and build a good-hearted relationship with each other.
"I feel like we hit it off like right off the bat," Philo said of Jones. "I feel like we're very similar in a lot of ways, personality-wise. We both really want to be great, and we both want to compete. And, you know, we're both good people. So I feel like we get along really well."
Jones had much of the same to say of Philo.
"Watching him take some of the things that he uses, taking some of the things I use," he said. "I think it's been just great to have him around, pushing me to be better."
Positional competition in football is a very unique, fluid process. Everybody wants to win, both as a team and as an individual. Competition, though, helps push players to perform above expectations and never settle for mediocrity.
It was not until the day of Tulane's season opener last year that Sumrall named a starting quarterback.
The Green Wave went on to win a conference championship and make the College Football Playoff.
For the foreseeable future, the Gator signal callers will not stop competing, in season or out.
