After months of a quarterback battle in The Swamp, Jon Sumrall announced Monday that he is preparing for Aaron Philo to be the starting quarterback Week 1 against Florida Atlantic.
“Philo will get the lion’s share of reps with the ones as we start to try to create cohesion within our football team to be ready for game one,” Sumrall said. “Doesn’t mean Tramell [Jones Jr.] won’t get some with the ones … but as we prepare for game one, Aaron Philo, we are preparing for him to be the starter.”
The decision to run with the redshirt sophomore for the time being comes after Saturday’s scrimmage where Sumrall said Philo had the edge over his counterpart.
He had no turnovers throughout the scrimmage and recorded a rushing touchdown, sources reported. This marked a bounce back from the previous Saturday when Sumrall said he thought the redshirt freshman, Jones, had the advantage.
“I thought he protected the football, made good decisions Saturday,” Sumrall said of Philo. “He had a good week last week.”
Sumrall said he met with both of the quarterbacks Sunday afternoon, and both fully understand where they stand in the competition.
Philo, a transfer from Georgia Tech, came to Florida knowing he would be battling Jones for the starting role. However, he came in initially with a major advantage that Sumrall said certainly played a part in the outcome.
Florida’s new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner also came from Georgia Tech, giving the young quarterback familiarity with the system even as a newcomer.
“[He] operated at the line of scrimmage at just a touch higher level and was more efficient. There’s no surprise to that in Spring because he’d been in the system and Tramell had not,” Sumrall said. “Tramell has improved a ton, but I still think we’re able to operate the full offense at a little bit higher level right now with Aaron.”
Philo also has familiarity with receivers Bailey Stockton and Eric Singleton Jr., who both spent time as Yellow Jackets before coming to Gainesville.
His connection with Stockton also dates back to their high school days. Philo spent his two seasons in Atlanta with Stockton following their two Georgia state championship titles at Prince Avenue Christian school in Bogart.
Philo also has the edge over Jones with prior experience. He started one contest for Georgia Tech last season, completing 75% of his passes for 373 yards against Gardner-Webb. He made appearances in two others during his sophomore campaign. Philo checked into five contests in his first season at GT and logged 565 total passing yards.
While Philo will start the season and Sumrall said he will take the majority of QB1 reps as the team prepares for the season opener, the competition is still tight and ongoing.
Jones got a chance to shine last season during Florida’s bout with Kentucky with Florida’s former starter DJ Lagway on the bench. He played the entire second half, going 9-of-17 for 60 yards in his second and final appearance of the year.
With two quarterbacks having similar, limited experience, Sumrall noted there was a chance he’d turn to both players throughout the season.
“It’s not something permanent … the guys will rally behind both,” Sumrall said. “For Tramell, it’s not like you’re being relegated or demoted and forgotten. This is not fatal. I believe in Tramell Jones. I’m a believer; I’ll go to battle with that dude. I'm fired up about both of them. I just feel like right now, it’s where we need to go with the decision.”
With a decision made – but still volatile – Florida’s season looks a little more certain as it hits the home stretch before the first snap. And with two capable, improving quarterbacks in their arsenal, the Gators set their sights on the first season of the Sumrall era.
“I’m excited about the room,” Sumrall said. “The good news is both of them have elevated their play. Love both of them, fired up about both of them and grateful for both of their approaches as we’ve gone through this.”
Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X @avadicecca24.
Contact Riley Orovitz at rorovitz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @rileyorovitz.
Ava DiCecca is a third-year sports and media journalism student and is the Summer 2026 assistant sports editor. Now in her fourth semester at The Alligator, she previously served as sports editor, the Gators volleyball beat reporter and an enterprise writer. In her free time she watches Boston sports (Brad Marchand we still love you).
Riley is a sophomore sports journalism student in her second semester at The Alligator. She is the beat reporter for Gators Gymnastics and Swim & Dive while also contributing to the Gators Football Beat. She previously served in the same role in her first semester with the newspaper. Riley is an avid South Florida sports fan and enjoys playing/following all sports in her free time.
