Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo will open the season as Florida’s starting quarterback, first-year head coach Jon Sumrall announced Monday.
The redshirt sophomore won the offseason battle with redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. and will be under center for the Sept. 5 season opener against Florida Atlantic in Gainesville, Fla.
Philo followed offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner from Georgia Tech to Florida this offseason and has three years of eligibility remaining.
Philo appeared in eight games for the Yellow Jackets across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, completing 57.8% of his passes for 938 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
He succeeds DJ Lagway, a two-year starter for Florida who transferred to Baylor following the Gators’ 4-8 campaign under former coach Billy Napier and interim coach Billy Gonzales in 2025.
Sumrall discussed the QB competition between Philo and Jones earlier this month.
“Neither one is just light years ahead of the other,” Sumrall told reporters on Aug. 17. “They’re both doing really good things. The one thing they both have to continue to work on is who’s going to operate the best at the line of scrimmage. We cannot forget motions and shifts, and then protect the football and then just lead.
“But they’re both doing a great job. They’re both supporting each other. They both compete with each other. Do both of them want to start? Yes. But they’re doing it the right way in the competition with each other, and they have each other’s back.”
Jones played in two games for the Gators last season, completing 21 of 35 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.