Chemistry is crucial on the football field, and the connection between a quarterback and his receivers is arguably the most important. But very few quarterback-receiver duos are as close as the one that’s made its way to Florida for the 2026 season.
From Georgia Tech to The Swamp, best friends, roommates and teammates Aaron Philo and Bailey Stockton bring a unique connection to Jon Sumrall’s squad.
“That's my guy,” Philo said.
Stockton echoed it.
The two met in sixth grade, Stockton said, and they went on to become teammates both on the football and baseball fields. Philo was a pitcher, and Stockton played centerfield.
Both competitors, the two gelled and began fishing and golfing together too.
"We've always just had the same goals and the same vision,” Stockton said. “We went to a small school in high school; there's not really many people. And then we had that quarterback-receiver connection."
Philo had a record-breaking stint at Prince Avenue Christian in Athens, Georgia. He threw for 13,922 yards and 159 passing touchdowns and now holds the Georgia high school football record for passing yards.
Stockton also shined. He caught 74 passes for 1,425 yards as a senior in 2022.
“Bailey's got a little kind of gym rat competitiveness about him, catches the ball well, makes plays,” Florida head coach Jon Sumrall said. “Just kind of a competitive, tough player. Probably faster than advertised.”
Together, Stockton and Philo won a Georgia State Championship that season. This marked Stockton’s second, and Philo grabbed his second the following year.
The two have grown together since, and will chase another championship this season at Florida on a bigger stage.
“It's been awesome just seeing him grow as a person and as a football player,” Philo said. “He's gotten a lot better. It's been really cool to go throughout college with him and just kind of grow together and just keep playing ball together.”
Last season, Stockton played in 11 games with two starts. He logged 21 catches and 233 receiving yards and was also a key punt returner for the Yellow Jackets. Philo played in three games and started one before they both ultimately decided to move on.
While neither of them followed the other to Florida, they were not upset to end up back on the same team. It might not have been in the plan, but they both hinted that it still may have always been in the cards.
“I just think the situation here fit the both of us really well,” Stockton said. "It wasn't like following each other, but we knew we were always gonna play [together] for a long time. We always had that in the back of our mind in high school.”
The two are not the only ones to make the move from Georgia Tech. The pair is joined most prominently by their former, and now current offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.
The relationship and familiarity with the system will only help the pair continue to do what they do best.
"He was really the first person that I felt like kind of believed in me out of high school,” Philo said. “He recruited me to Georgia Tech, and I just felt like he's believed in me from the start."
While just each other and their coach may have been enough, Philo and Stockton are joined by plenty more new Gators with a white and gold past.
Eric Singleton Jr., Luke Harpring and Harrison Moore also made the switch, and the community has aided with a sense of familiarity for the former Yellow Jackets as they get accustomed to Gainesville.
"It's definitely helped a lot,” Stockton said. “If we ever need anything, we're always there for each other."
Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X @avadicecca24.
Ava is a sophomore sports journalism student and the Spring 2026 sports editor. Previously for The Alligator, she covered volleyball and did sports enterprise. Ava enjoys watching and playing sports in her free time and has been a Boston sports fan all her life. (Brad Marchand is still everything.)
