Tramell Jones Jr. Staying Ready After Falling Short in Gators' QB Battle

GAINESVILLE, Fla.— Tramell Jones Jr. did not need to talk about falling short in the Florida Gators' quarterback battle.

He could have put his head down and quietly moved on. Or worse, put his head down and let frustration and anger take over.

But that is not who Tramell Jones Jr. is.

A little over 24 hours after head coach Jon Sumrall announced that Jones Jr. had lost the quarterback battle to transfer Aaron Philo, the sophomore walked into the Pritchett Gator Room at the Heavener Football Training Center, sat in a chair, and watched as Philo met with the media to discuss his opportunity as the starter.

20 minutes later, he took to that same podium with his head held high, not shying away from questions about losing the job. The first question saw him asked about his reaction to falling short in the competition, and he responded admirably.

"Definitely disappointed, but after the decision, I had two choices to make: I could either lay my head down, shy away from the opportunity. Teammates would see me down. That’s not the kind of energy you want to hold," Jones Jr. said. "Or option two: I can keep competing, I can keep working, I can keep getting better, I can keep developing in the offense.

"That's exactly what I’m going to do.”

Florida quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. competed with transfer Aaron Philo to be the Gators' starter. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Jones Jr., at least from an outsider's perspective, always seemed like a long shot to win the job. Philo, of course, has slightly more experience and had transferred from Georgia Tech to Florida to play under offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, who had coached him the previous two seasons.

It did not stop him from making a considerable push.

From January on, Jones Jr.'s competitive nature, knowledge expansion within the playbook, increased game speed and decision-making and growing vocal leadership allowed him to quickly gain ground on Philo to the point that Sumrall did not put a timeline on naming a starter. Faulkner confidently said at the beginning of camp that he could win with either quarterback, even though the one he was most familiar with was not Jones Jr.

Sumrall also made that same sentiment clear on Monday, shortly after announcing Philo as the starter for his ability to operate the full offense at a slightly higher level than Jones Jr.

"For Tramell, it's not like you're being relegated or demoted and forgotten," Sumrall said. "This is not fatal. I believe in Tramell Jones. I'm a believer. I'll go to battle with that dude."

The gap closed so much that Jones Jr. received the start in last Saturday's scrimmage, helping lead the offense on a touchdown drive. However, multiple turnovers hurt his performance. Nonetheless, growth this offseason — the latest chapter in his career after last year's fast rise from fourth-string true freshman to DJ Lagway's immediate backup to begin the season — has put Jones Jr. in a spot where, if Florida ever had to use him, they would be comfortable doing so.

"He's a baller. I'll just put it at that," Philo said. "He battled really hard, and it pushed me to be better, no doubt.”

It also has Jones Jr. more confident in his own abilities.

"When you do those things last year, then you come back and you are competing this year, I think that’s just brought the best out of me the past two years," Jones Jr. said. "I think the growth and development has been drastic because of those things.”

Philo will get the start on Sept. 5 against FAU, and there is no telling when or if Jones Jr. will get to see the field against the Owls. In the meantime, he will still push Philo while continuing to develop. His main focus after that? Staying ready.

"You work all offseason, you want to be the quarterback here, you want to play," Jones Jr. said. "Being the quarterback at the University of Florida is different, and that’s exactly what I wanna do. So, I’m going to keep working.

"I’m going to keep learning the offense so that when my number’s called, I’ll be ready.”

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