- Aaron Philo, a junior transfer from Georgia Tech, will start as the Florida Gators' quarterback for the 2026 season opener against Florida Atlantic University.
- Philo played eight games at Georgia Tech, including one start, and set a Georgia high school passing record with 13,922 yards.
- Coach Jon Sumrall named Philo starter after a close competition with Tramell Jones Jr., citing similar arm talent and ability in both quarterbacks.
This Saturday night (7:45 p.m.) in the Swamp, the University of Florida football team opens its 12-game regular season with its first meeting vs. Florida Atlantic University since 2021 and fifth matchup all-time.
The Gators, who are 71-8 all-time in season openers in Gainesville, will have a new quarterback this season.
Junior transfer Aaron Philo (Georgia Tech) will start in Week 1 after competing with sophomore QB and Jacksonville native (Mandarin) Tramell Jones Jr. in camp. Philo followed his offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner to UF.
They lead the other three QBs on the depth chart (Will Griffin, Aidan Warner and Aaron Williams). The five QBs have a combined two career collegiate starts (any level) and 16 games played.
That ranks as the fifth and sixth fewest totals, respectively, among P4 teams entering the 2026 season. The two QB starts are tied for the third fewest in the SEC with Tennessee, which is just behind Alabama (0) and Vanderbilt (0).
Philo (6’1, 207) played in eight games at Georgia Tech from 2024-25, highlighted by one start vs. Gardner-Webb in 2025.
Last week, when breaking down tape on behalf of Hard Rock Bet, college football analyst Brooks Austin, AKA “The Film Guy,” offered a detailed analysis on Philo.
Austin reviewed Georgia Tech game tape from two of Philo’s games in 2024 and one from 2025.
“Philo is pretty damn good, and I think the film says the same thing,” Austin said. “I’m excited to see what he does with the immense talent Florida has at wide receiver. Faulkner trusts his arm enough to call far-hash sail routes, switch releases and throws outside the numbers. Philo has the pocket movement, toughness and processing ability to run the offense at a high level.”
Up first on the tape review was when Philo was “thrown into the fire as a true freshman” against Virginia Tech in October of 2024.
“The situation wasn’t ideal for a freshman making his first appearance,” Austin said. “Georgia Tech was down 15 points on the road, Virginia Tech knew a pass was coming and Philo faced third-and-15 on his first attempt of the game.”
The redshirt sophomore completed the pass for a first down.
“It immediately showed one of the defining traits of his game: This kid can throw really, really good fastballs,” Austin said. “We always separate arm strength from arm talent. Philo has plenty of arm strength. The ball zips out of his hand, and he throws a heavy football. The larger question is whether he has all the arm talent in the world – the ability to change speeds, alter trajectories and make accurate throws without a clean platform.”
Certainly, one game, or one pass, does not define a quarterback.
However, against Virginia Tech, Austin said that Philo “showed really good pocket mobility. “
“He threw the ball a ton in high school and broke the Georgia high school state passing record, and you can see that experience in the way he moves,” Austin said.
Philo was Georgia high school football’s all-time leader in passing yards (13,922), breaking the record previously held by current Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (13,902 yds. at Cartersville High School from 2014 to 2017).
Two games later, he took the majority of snaps against NC State because starter Haynes King was injured. Philo set season highs with 19 completions on 33 attempts for 265 passing yards, as well as seven carries for 57 yards and a score.
Philo also engineered one of Georgia Tech’s biggest drives of the season, when he led the Yellow Jackets 75 yards for the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter for a 30-29 win over the Wolfpack.
“The end of the NC State game showed why Georgia Tech trusted Philo despite those freshman mistakes,” Austin said. “With the game on the line, he moved the offense downfield in four plays. He delivered the first completion beneath the receiver’s face, then checked the ball down on the next snap rather than risking a sack.”
Austin said the NC State tape also showed why he loves Faulkner “and all the great coordinators who build their offenses around the screen game.”
“Georgia Tech didn’t even need to run a traditional screen-and-go to manipulate the defense,” Austin explained. “One eligible receiver released into the flat and turned toward Philo as a hot option, while the other receivers ran their normal routes downfield.”
The Gardner-Webb tape showed his big-play capability.
Philo completed 75.0% of his passes (21-for-28) for 373 yards in that game, averaging 17.8 yards per completion. He also accounted for 387 yards of total offense — 373 passing and 14 rushing — tying for 14th in Georgia Tech single-game history.
The passing yards total also placed him seventh in single-game passing yard history and he earned ACC Rookie of the Week (Sept. 6, 2025).
While he has yet to play a down for the Gators, Austin said he can certainly understand “why Florida fans may watch practice and conclude that Tramell Jones Jr. has more natural arm talent.”
“He may look prettier making some of these throws, and the ball may jump out of his hand a little differently,” Austin said. “But the tape shows that Philo can play the position at a high rate. His feet are consistently tied to his eyes, which is not something we see from many young quarterbacks.”
Last week, a little over 24 hours after head coach Jon Sumrall named him the starter, Philo said he was ready for the opportunity as the Gators’ starting QB.
“I’m honored, and I don’t take it lightly at all,” he said. “I don’t take this position for granted at all. I’m very blessed, very honored, and it’s something that I’ve worked my whole life to get to.”
In his career, Philo has completed 59 of 102 passes (57.8%) for 938 yards, two touchdowns and three picks.
Jones played in two games as a true freshman in 2025 against LIU and Kentucky, completing 21 of 35 passes (60.0%) for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Entering 2026, Jones has a 124.7 rating and 71.1 PFF passing grade compared to Philo’s 135.7 and 72.2.
This past Friday on The Paul Finebaum Show, Sumrall revealed that Jones (6’, 196) made the battle for the starting job a ‘real competition.’
“If you’d have asked me in early April, it wasn’t really even much of a decision,” Sumrall said. “Philo was way ahead. The beautiful thing that happened is Tramell got better and better and better, and man, we had a real competition.”
Sumrall said the duo have similar arm talent, athletic ability and are similar enough in stature.
Austin said that despite putting the ball at risk at times, and needing “to improve his touch, ball placement and willingness to take easy completions,” he is looking forward to watching Philo this season.
“But his mistakes usually come from being too competitive, not from failing to understand what the defense is doing,” he said. “I’m excited to see what he does with the immense talent Florida has at wide receiver. Faulkner trusts his arm enough to call far-hash sail routes, switch releases and throws outside the numbers. Philo has the pocket movement, toughness and processing ability to run the offense at a high level.”