Through the quarterback's eyes: Aaron Philo

Aaron Philo launches a pass at Friday's practice (Photo by Chris Spears)

Had he stayed at Georgia Tech, Aaron Philo would have been prepping for a season opener against Colorado on September 3. After two years as the understudy for Haynes King, the starting quarterback job at Georgia Tech was the sure thing, not to mention the comforts of home just miles from the North Avenue campus in Atlanta. Instead of the sure thing, however, Philo elected to roll the dice and transfer to Florida when Buster Faulkner left Tech to become the offensive coordinator for first-year Florida coach Jon Sumrall.

That might have seemed like a sure thing at the moment, but as the Gators prep for a season opener with Florida Atlantic four Saturdays from now, he finds himself engaged in a daily battle with redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr., who threw 28 passes in four games of mop-up duty for the Gators last season. Going back to the spring game where Jones had a statistically better game, it has been viewed as a down to the wire battle to see who will emerge as the first game starter.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, either, because for the first time since 2019 when incumbent starter Feleipe Franks went toe-to-toe with Kyle Trask has there been serious competition for the starting job. Franks had the advantage of starting 13 games the previous year when the 2019 season opened in Orlando against Miami but two games later he fractured his ankle and Trask took over. The competition in the spring and throughout August had Trask well prepared to step in seamlessly, taking over a job he never relinquished until he used up all his eligibility in 2020.

Competition brought out the best in Franks and Trask, just as it seems to be creating a perfect storm for the 2026 Gators with Philo and Jones. Philo most certainly has the advantage of more than two years immersion in Faulkner’s offense but Jones is a virtual sponge as he learns the details and nuances of his second offense in two years. They might be fighting for the same job, but the competition doesn’t prevent Philo from sharing his wealth of knowledge about Faulkner’s complicated but potentially explosive scheme.

“In the quarterback room it’s an open book,” Philo said Friday morning. “We don’t keep secrets. We’re all trying to help each other at the end of the day. It’s not like I’m trying to keep anything in the playbook from anybody. If there’s something out there that I see, I’m gonna tell them, try to help them out as much as I can because I’ve been in it two years, now going on three years. I’m not keeping any secrets I’m trying to help out anybody any way I can.”

This is a healthy, ongoing competition that might not be decided until the day of the season opener. Due to his experience and time spent mastering the Faulkner offense, Philo is thought to have the best shot of earning the staring job. Here are a few of his observations about the team he hopes to lead into battle a month from today.

On Tramell Jones Jr.: “I think he’s a really smart player. I think he understands the defense really well. Obviously, he has a lot of zip on his ball. I think he’s got a really strong arm, but he’s a really smart player, really sharp.”

On conditioning with Rusty Whitt: “This offseason I really wanted to work on my body. I think I dropped like 10 pounds of fat and gained 7 pounds of lean muscle. So that just allows me to be more confident with, you know, my speed, scrambling, and extending plays.”

On center Harrison Moore and right guard TJ Shanahan: “Harrison ... He's got a dog mentality, man. There's no other way to put it. He's a trench warrior. He's going to give it everything he's got every single play, like TJ Shanahan as well. Those two guys have really pushed everybody in the room, and they're out there every single day getting snaps after practice, and they were doing that even before practice. Throughout the whole summer, they were getting snaps, so they've really worked their butt off, and those guys are going to get everything they work for.”

More about Harrison Moore: “He played tight end in high school, so he's got a good athletic background. He moves really well for his size. It's pretty impressive.”

The offensive line: “I feel really confident in those guys. I think they're going to keep improving. When five guys really come together and they play a lot of football together, I think they become more connected and they can play, like I said, more connected and be better. But I think they're doing a really good job. I know they're going to keep working their butts off, and I'm really excited for those guys.”

The Faulkner offense: “I would say explosive and just getting the ball in playmakers’ hands. Finding a way to play to the strengths of the players on offense and finding a way to get them the ball and playing to their strengths.”

Corner Ben Hanks III: “I think Ben Hanks had a really good spring ... I feel like his eyes are really good. He sees a lot of things, and then I think he plays the ball pretty good as well.”

The tight ends: “Obviously we've got Amir Jackson, we've got Luke (Harpring), Lakota (Dipre), (Evan) Chieca … all those guys. I think they're going to be really good. I think we've got a really good tight end room, really versatile. I think we've got guys that can do different things, so excited about that.”

On Bailey Stockton, transfer wide receiver from Georgia Tech: “I think, like, he's super competitive, ultra competitive. He wants to be the best. And I think all the guys in that receiver room, him knowing that he's got to compete has really pushed him to be the best that he can be. And, you know, he's not afraid of competition. He comes in every day, works his butt off. I'm really excited for him and what he's going to be able to do this season.”

Declining a dig at last year’s Florida team while praising the team getting ready for 2026: “I'm just really excited about the team that we have here. I'm not going to speak on, like, anyone else. I'm just going to be where my feet are, and I'm really excited about the guys that we have and it's exactly the season. I think our skill guys are really good. I think our defense is going to be really good. And then up front, offensive line, we're going to be like, I would say all around like that. And then, obviously, on the perimeter, I think we're going to be extremely explosive.”

On what he has to work on to improve: “Probably turnovers, not trying to force anything. Trying to do a better job of protecting the ball, playing winning football. And then just, obviously, just keep getting reps with those guys out there. Keep building chemistry. Just keep trying to build that connection as much as we can.”

On the ceiling for Jaden Baugh in this offense: “There's no telling. I don't think he has one.”