Have the Florida Gators Reopened its Quarterback Battle?

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jon Sumrall is still not ready to name a starting quarterback between Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. If you need any indication, just take a look at the Florida Gators’ depth chart, where the two are listed with “OR” at the starting spot.

“I'm not gonna make a big quarterback-one announcement,” Sumrall said on Monday. “I have a plan that is already kind of in motion and in place. But I don't know that it helps us with me naming a starter today. We need both of them to be ready to play to go win.”

A notable depth chart change for Florida ahead of facing Oklahoma: UF lists either Aaron Philo or Tramell Jones Jr. as the starting quarterback.

First time this year there’s an official “or” next to the QBs. pic.twitter.com/HKATUTh7el
— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall) November 2, 2026

Florida’s preseason quarterback battle between the two has reignited in recent weeks, as Philo has now lost his last three starts, while Jones Jr. won his first start against Texas before replacing Philo in Saturday’s loss to Georgia. While the answer, at least from an outsider’s point of view, seems obvious, as Jones Jr. has played better in recent appearances, there are other things to consider.

For starters, both have battled injuries in recent weeks. Philo, replaced after throwing two interceptions in three drives, is fresh off returning from a shoulder injury, while Jones Jr. is dealing with an undisclosed injury that could require surgery in the offseason. Sumrall also said that while Jones Jr., who threw for 172 yards and added a rushing touchdown, may have replaced Philo, both had plenty of poor moments.

“I thought at quarterback we had too many balls that were in jeopardy with both guys,” Sumrall said, highlighting Philo’s first interception — a wacky underhanded throw in the air as he fell down — and an interception Jones Jr. threw that was called back for roughing the passer.

Then there’s the play around them. As easy as it is to criticize the quarterbacks, Sumrall made clear his belief that both Philo and Jones Jr. are not getting much help around them. Particularly, the offensive line has struggled against some of the league’s top pass-rushers, while untimely drops against the Bulldogs stifled momentum.

The Bulldogs recorded 11 tackles for loss with four sacks against the Gators as Philo and Jones Jr. each had to scramble on multiple occasions. Jones Jr. got the brunt of the pressure, with a strip-sack returned for a touchdown near the end of the first half after a missed block by running back Evan Pryor.

“I don’t know if Tom Brady was our quarterback on Saturday if it would have helped us,” Sumrall said. “And I’m not trying to be a smart aleck. He would have been under too much duress and pressure to operate.”

Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, on the other hand, emphasized how both Philo and Jones Jr. need to be better about avoiding "disaster plays."

"Goes back to kind of the theme that’s been the last few weeks is we have something bad happen within a series and then the next couple plays something worse happens," Faulkner said on Tuesday. "So we’ve got to eliminate those things for us to have a chance to be able to sustain drives. No rhythm at all. I don’t want to say it was hard for the quarterbacks to operate. There’s a lot of things that went into the reason we played the way we did, and we’ve just got to get better, bottom line.”

With three losses in its last four games, the margin for error for the rest of the season is as small as it can be. That being said, the final stretch of the 2026 regular season could be in Florida’s favor. The Gators are set to face three teams with either a losing or a .500 record in Oklahoma (Saturday), Vanderbilt (Nov. 21) and Florida State (Nov. 27), while a road matchup at Kentucky gives Florida a chance for a third top-10 victory this season.

They’ll need to figure out the quarterback position first.

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