Quarterbacks Tramell Jones Jr., left, and Aaron Philo during Friday's practice. Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner looks on in the background. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
From Lagway to Philo and Jones, the Dominoes Behind Florida's QB Battle
Friday, August 7, 2026 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In a modern sports universe that includes in-game win-probability percentages and charts logging the latest trends, we can only imagine what those analytical tools might have projected during the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl if they knew then what we know now.
So many dominoes have fallen in the 595 days since that late December afternoon in Tampa to create Florida's current reality.
When you flash back to Dec. 20, 2024, and replay the Florida-Tulane matchup at Raymond James Stadium, of all the reasonable assumptions that existed following UF's 33-8 victory, the safest seemed to be that winning quarterback DJ Lagway would be primed for a huge junior season in 2026.
Of course, if that happens, it won't be with the Gators. In the dust of those dominoes — Florida's 4-8 season, Billy Napier's exit, Jon Sumrall's arrival and Lagway's transfer to Baylor — emerged the origin story of Florida's current quarterback competition: Aaron Philo vs. Tramell Jones Jr.
On the day Lagway was named Gasparilla Bowl MVP after throwing for 305 yards against Sumrall's transfer-reduced Tulane team, Philo was preparing for Georgia Tech's Birmingham Bowl matchup against Vanderbilt, and Jones had recently completed his senior season at Jacksonville's Mandarin High School. On Friday morning, they performed under the watchful eyes of Sumrall and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner during the Gators' third practice of preseason camp.
Aaron Philo works from the shotgun at Friday morning's practice. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
They both spoke to reporters afterward, with the usual questions about their relationship, their progress over the summer, Faulkner's expectations and how they fit his offense. Since Lagway's decision to transfer in the spring opened the door, the Philo-Jones competition has naturally never strayed far from the conversation.
Jones is more familiar to Gators fans, having served as Lagway's backup a season ago and appearing in two games, most notably taking over in the second half of a loss at Kentucky and finishing 9 of 17 for 60 yards. It's a small sample size, but the 6-foot, 196-pound Jones has eyed this path since he was a blooming teenager.
"Pretty funny story,'' he said Friday. "I was in middle school, and I was playing quarterback. I was playing quarterback all my life. I played everything till I got to high school. I was playing quarterback, and they're like, 'ah, we don't think you're good enough.' So, switching me to receiver kind of ticked me off. Then when I got to high school, I was able to compete and play quarterback. Ended up taking the job and starting from my freshman year to my senior year, and then that's when I knew this was going to be serious."
Jones proved he was prepared for the job at Mandarin, throwing for more than 7,000 yards and 75 touchdowns in his prep career. He had offers from Florida State, Miami and Florida, among others, before opting to sign with the Gators.
He has impressed Sumrall and Faulkner with his poise and confidence, not to mention the strong right arm that delivers tight spirals to receivers. While he has had to catch up to Philo in learning Faulkner's playbook, Jones said he's put in the work.
"I think that's the difference between being a good quarterback and a great quarterback,'' Jones said. "I mean, being able to sustain a lot of information at one time and not playing robotic because they're not about playing robotic. You want to be an athlete. You want to be able to put the ball in situations where athletes can do great things in space, and that's what it's really all about."
As Jones makes his case to be the starter in camp, Philo's journey toward the game's most important position started about 15 miles from Georgia's Sanford Stadium at Prince Avenue Christian School in Bogart, Georgia.
When he concluded his high school career in 2023, Philo was Georgia high school football's all-time leader in passing yards (13,922), breaking the record held by former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Philo threw at least one touchdown pass in every game over his three seasons as a starter and led Prince Avenue to state championships his junior and senior seasons.
"I didn't play quarterback a lot growing up," Philo said Friday. "I moved to Prince Avenue in seventh grade … in eighth grade I decided to play, and I went out there, it was like the first day, and I was like, 'I'm just gonna like go to tight end or something.' I had never played quarterback.
"I had a coach on the middle school team that had seen me play baseball, and he had coached me in baseball, and he was like, 'Why don't we try to stick this kid at quarterback,' and kind of just rolled with it ever since."
Tramell Jones Jr. throws a pass at practice on Friday. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
Philo appeared in eight games for Georgia Tech over the past two seasons, completing 59 of 102 passes for 938 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. While he remains relatively inexperienced, he does provide a larger sample size and familiarity with Faulkner's system.
The competition between Philo and Jones is expected to continue throughout preseason camp, and similar to Sumrall at SEC Media Days last month in Tampa, Faulkner reiterated this week that he has confidence in both players and is in no hurry to declare a winner.
"There's no timeline,'' Faulkner said. "There's always an evaluation. Just because you're the starter, you gotta go play good. Coach Spurrier used to run them in and out. No, there's no timeline. When we know, we'll know. Obviously, somebody has to take the first snap. We'll make that decision when it's right."
Eventually, a fresh development or decision will add clarity to the competition. It shouldn't be as unexpected as some of those that have dropped since the Gasparilla Bowl less than two years ago when Sumrall was on the Tulane sideline watching Lagway.
It wasn't a classic performance by the Florida offense. But it was a winning one. And when Sumrall was approached about the UF job after Florida's regression in 2025, he knew he needed a talented quarterback and experienced play-caller for an explosive offense Gators fans expect.
"I was really open about [it], with the administration here," Sumrall said this week. "I think that there's a style of play when you think of Florida football offensively. Now, the way that Coach Spurrier played the game offensively was different than the way Coach Meyer played offensively, but there's still a fun, explosive style of play. It changed a little bit based upon what the personnel looked like."
We're still waiting to see which player becomes the most important piece of that personnel puzzle. That's the next domino.
