Thoughts of the Day: August 25, 2026

(Photo by Chris Spears)

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:

There is a reason why Aaron Philo will be Florida’s starting quarterback when the Gators take the field against Florida Atlantic ten days from now in The Swamp. It has nothing to do with promises as some seeking a shooter on a grassy knoll might theorize. Aaron Philo didn’t leave a sure thing starting job at Georgia Tech to transfer to Florida because he was promised the No. 1 QB. Not at all. Florida was his transfer destination of choice because Buster Faulkner left Tech to become the offensive coordinator for the Gators.

Period. End of story.

Two years working with Faulkner was all the convincing Aaron Philo needed to become a Gator. No promises were extended, none were needed. The opportunity for another year developing under the watchful eye of Buster Faulkner made transferring to Florida the best option for continued and long term development.

Faulkner is somewhat of a QB whisperer. In the two years he was the quarterback coach at Georgia, he turned former walk-on Stetson Bennett IV into a two-time national champion who threw for 56 touchdowns and nearly 7,000 yards while leading the Bulldogs to a 29-1 record. In three years as the offensive coordinator and QB coach at Georgia Tech, Faulkner transformed Haynes King from a run-first, interception prone quarterback into one of the nation’s top dual threats. King completed 16 passes to his opponents in year one under Faulkner, but threw only eight picks combined in 2024-25.

The two years spent understanding the who, what, when and wheres of Faulkner’s offense in Atlanta have carried over to Gainesville where Philo has emerged as the starter over redshirt freshman Tramell Jones. Some who have been privy to practices admit Jones has the better arm and the speed to become a very dangerous runner, but what he doesn’t have is two years knowing how his offensive coordinator thinks and what he’s looking for in the seconds before the ball is snapped.

At his Monday press conference, Florida head coach Jon Sumrall said his two quarterbacks are similar in so many ways, but the two years of working with Faulker at Georgia Tech gave Philo the edge, particularly in those critical seconds prior to the ball being snapped.

"Yeah, I would say operate at the line of scrimmage at just a touch higher level and be more efficient,” Sumrall offered as one of the chief reasons Philo will be the starter. “You know, there's no surprise to that in spring because he had been in the system, and Tramell had not. 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, with the whole package. And so, that's probably the biggest separator.

“Their arm talent is very similar …  what's unique is both of ‘em's play style resembles each other more than it differentiates each other. They're kind of similar players. Arm talent-wise, running ability, they're similar-ish, like on the GPS numbers, they're about the same speed. So I would say it's probably the biggest differentiating factor has just been being able to maybe get us into the right call, out of the wrong call, check things, alert things, kill things off of defensive pictures, and then maybe see the middle of the field a little bit more in the throw game. But both guys have done a lot of great things, but that's probably been the biggest difference. It's just operational.”

Now, just because Philo has been named the starter doesn’t mean another year of riding the pine and hoping for mop-up duty for Jones. He was injured as a high school senior and was limited to perhaps 50 or so snaps last season at Florida when he was the backup QB to DJ Lagway. Jones needs real game experience in the worst way to prep to be ready in the event Philo suffers a sprained ankle or concussion. Getting meaningful snaps early in the season is the only way to ensure Jones will be ready.

Both Philo and Jones have earned the trust of Sumrall, who believes the Gators can win with either one at quarterback.

“And for Tramell, it's not like you're being relegated or demoted and forgotten,” Sumrall said. “Like, this is not fatal. I believe in Tramell Jones. Like I'm a believer, I'll go to battle with that dude. So, I'm fired up about both of them. I just feel like right now, it's where we need to go with the decision, but the guys will rally around both."

KEELON RUSSELL ANOINTED AS THE STARTING QB AT ALABAMA

After going 10-3 in 2010, one year after winning the first of his six national championships at Alabama, Nick Saban never had a season in which he lost more than two games. Saban lost eight games in his final five seasons prior to retiring after the 2023 season.

Kalen DeBoer suffered the indignity of a 9-4 record in 2024. Saban never had a 4-loss season and the only year he didn’t win at least 10 games was the 7-6 record he posted his first year on the job in Tuscaloosa. DeBoer improved the win total to a more respectable 11 games in 2025, but still suffered another 4-loss season.

The pressure on DeBoer to win is nearly beyond comprehension and now he’s trusting his already shaky situation to a redshirt freshman quarterback. In Alabama terms, this is like giving the keys to the Cadillac to the cabana attendant. Even great quarterbacks have their struggles against SEC defenses. True freshman and redshirt freshman quarterbacks are like chum in the water for the sharks on SEC defenses.

 Adding to the pressure of being an unknown quantity now starting at QB for the most storied football program in the SEC, we have former Georgia All-America defensive end David Pollock calling Russell a “carbon copy” of former LSU Heisman Trophy QB Jayden Daniels. Former Bama quarterback turned ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy says Russell “will be an All-SEC player.”

Russell might be every bit as talented as he is hyped, but talent and pressure sometimes mix like oil and water. There are no guarantees that Russell can handle expectations like no other place in the SEC. At Alabama every loss is treated like a death sentence. If Russell leads the Crimson Tide to yet another 4-loss season then the heat will ratchet up to levels unseen in Tuscaloosa since 2006, Mike Shula’s last year as the Bama head coach.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: A Baton Rouge judge issued a temporary restraining order Monday that will allow former Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis to play basketball for LSU this year. Luis has been out of college the last two years playing in the G-League on a two-way contract.

Not to be outdone by the shenanigans of basketball coach Will Wade, LSU football coach Lane Kiffin is basically giving the NCAA and SEC a middle finger salute by pursuing tight end Dae’Quan Wright, most recently on the preseason roster of the Cleveland Browns. Wright played for Kiffin last season at Ole Miss. Wright is one of several players in NFL training camps who have sued the NCAA to get another year of college football. Former Gator and LSU defensive end Jack Pyburn, playing well in the preseason for the Tampa Bay Bucs, is also seeking to return to college football.

The farce that is going on at LSU prompted Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated to write, “Of course, there was an active NFL player in the transfer portal with plans to play college football this season. Of course a local judge set it in motion. Of course the setting is Louisiana, where the state’s flagship university is running its athletic department like a shady cryptocurrency company.”

LSU gets the headlines here because it is home to two of the most controversial coaches in all of collegiate athletics – basketball coach Will Wade and Kiffin. But, let’s face it. LSU is not alone here. There are lawsuits out the wazzoo and more on the way challenging the NCAA, which, in its infinite wisdom has turned collegiate athletics into a modern day version of the Titanic. The Titanic wore the unsinkable label until it struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage. The “unsinkable” NCAA has also struck an iceberg, this one of its own making. Just like the Titanic, the NCAA is sinking while the dance band plays “Nearer My God to Thee.”

Unlike the Titanic, there is a glimmer of hope that could at least rescue the NCAA temporarily. Faced with a mounting number of lawsuits in local courts where the NCAA always loses, the smart thing to do – yes, that’s asking a lot of the NCAA – is to offer a compromise: A fifth year of eligibility for last year’s fourth-year seniors in exchange for rejecting NFL and NBA players who figure they can make more money back in college than they can warming a bench in the pros. LSU might not agree with that, but you can bet the ranch a majority of conference commissioners, school presidents, athletic directors and coaches would ask for a dotted line on which they could sign.

The NCAA has rarely shown any flexibility when it comes to challenges of its authority, choosing instead to fight at every juncture even when it makes no sense at all.  There is no better time than the present to alter its course. It is either compromise or watch college sports join the Titanic on the bottom of the ocean.