No. 17 Florida Gators Make Surprise QB Decision for No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs

The Florida Gators have reportedly made a decision on a starting quarterback against No. 3 Georgia. Aaron Philo will get the start over Tramell Jones Jr., according to On3’s Pete Nakos and Zach Abolverdi.

Philo missed the win over Texas two weeks ago with a shoulder injury.

While listed as questionable on Thursday’s availability report, Philo has taken bulk of the first-team reps in practice this week as Jones Jr. nurses his own injury. Head coach Jon Sumrall said availability and recent play would play a role in a decision.

"Welcome to SEC football," Sumrall said. "But both guys are I think gonna be up. I'm not comfortable to say that for sure yet, honestly, because you have to go through the week.”

Philo helped lead Florida to a 4-0 start with impressive wins at Auburn and over Ole Miss, but back-to-back losses to Missouri and South Carolina before his injury left a lot to be desired, although his issues with accuracy and throwing downfield were microcosms of many offensive issues over those two games.

Nonetheless, the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket and Georgia native is set to make his first start against the Bulldogs in his return to his home state.

“I talked to him this morning, he’s fired up, he’s ready to go,” said center Harrison Moore, a former Georgia Tech teammate.

Jones Jr., meanwhile, threw two touchdowns with no turnovers in the Gators’ win over the Longhorns, while also converting a crucial third down with his legs to seal the win. While Jones Jr.’s poise and demeanor impressed in his first start, he has also been dealing with an injury and was questionable on Thursday’s availability report.

“He’s got a couple of bumps and bruises, too, now,” Sumrall said. “Pulled the guy fresh out of that garage and he goes and plays, and he got a couple of fender-benders. So there's some bumps and bruises he's dealing with that are new.”

While Philo is reportedly set to start, Jones Jr. could play on Saturday. Sumrall teased playing both at the same time and emphasized that the game plan does not change much between the two due to similar skill sets. The team also emphasized belief that they can win with either player.

“The good thing is I feel very, very confident in both guys' abilities,” offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said. “We're very lucky. We've got two young quarterbacks that I think are really good football players, and their best football is ahead of both of them.”

Kickoff between the Gators and the Bulldogs in Atlanta is at 3:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage on ABC.

Sign up for our free Florida Gators newsletter and follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and X for the latest news!

Add us as a preferred source on Google