Why Florida Started Aaron Philo Over Tramell Jones Jr., QB Plans After Loss to Georgia

Aaron Philo started in the Florida Gators' matchup against third-ranked Georgia. Tramell Jones Jr. finished it.

Philo, returning from a shoulder injury that kept him out of the win over Texas, was named the expected starter on Friday but only lasted three drives in which he threw two interceptions before being replaced by Jones Jr. Jones Jr., who had helped lead the Gators to an upset over the Longhorns two weeks earlier, played better in Philo's place, throwing for 172 yards with a rushing touchdown.

So, that begs the question. Why did Florida elect to start Philo, who had lost his previous two starts, over Jones Jr.?

Head coach Jon Sumrall explained it came down to multiple reasons.

For starters, Jones Jr. is nursing an injury that could require surgery in the offseason. While Sumrall did not disclose specifics of the injury, he explained it was enough to hold him out for most of the bye week. Philo, on the other hand, was healthier after recovering from his shoulder injury.

Philo was also simply performing better in practice in the week leading up to the loss, leading to Sumrall and the staff to decide to give Philo the start.

"We talked through, as a staff, after the first three days of practice, how they looked," Sumrall explained. "We talked every day about it, but through three days, Philo was executing better on Monday, Tuesday. So, we shifted to getting Philo the majority of the one reps on Wednesday was when it was kind of like, that was the direction we’re probably going here."

Florida Gators quarterback Aaron Philo got the start in the loss to Georgia. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Still, it did not stop Sumrall from making the change in the first half. Philo lasted just three drives, going 5-for-7 for 26 yards and two interceptions before being replaced by Jones Jr. Sumrall said Philo did not play as poorly as it seemed, but his first interception — one in which he underhandedly tossed a ball straight to a Georgia defender as he fell — was the first of many self-inflicted wounds for Florida.

"We can’t give them plays, and that, the first one was on him," Sumrall said. "I don’t know outside of that. I’m not gonna sit here and say he played great, but I don’t think he, outside that one play, anything catastrophic."

Now, the question remains who will start moving forward? Jones Jr. clearly has the momentum, but his health will be something to watch moving forward as Philo looks to regain clear control of the position. Sumrall said he is not ready to make a decision on the starter yet and that Florida's offensive issues extend beyond just the quarterback position.

Sumrall admitted that drops, specifically by Eric Singleton Jr., receivers lining up wrong or running the wrong routes and the offensive line failing to control the line of scrimmage did no favors for Philo or Jones Jr. Nonetheless, he has not seen enough from either to comfortably name a starter.

"I don’t know that I saw either one of them play well enough for me to go, that’s our starter forever moving forward," he said. "I saw both of them do enough good things that I wanna keep both of them alive and give them opportunities to grow, but neither one of them played so good that it’s like, oh, that’s the guy forever now. We still need better quarterback play."

While confidence is shot, belief remains for the time being. And it has to. Florida has no viable options for the moment outside of Philo and Jones Jr., and with both having a top-10 win to their individual resumes, they have proven they can win with either quarterback.

"We can win with both guys, honestly," receiver Bailey Stockton said. "... I mean, we've beaten good teams with Philo and good teams with Tramell. We'll ride with any of them, to be honest with you."

Florida Gators quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. replaced Aaron Philo in the loss to Georgia. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But will they? Florida hosts Oklahoma this week, while matchups against Vanderbilt (Nov. 21) and Florida State (Nov. 26) provide tremendous opportunities for late-season wins. The Gators will also have a chance for a third top-10 win this season with a trip to No. 8 Kentucky on Nov. 14.

In the meantime, Florida will have to figure out a starter as it hopes to make the most of its 2026 season.

"We're going to start whoever positions our football team to win, that we think off of how they’ve performed," Sumrall said. "So I’m married to starting nobody. I’m married to starting whoever gets Florida the best chance of being successful.”

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