Could Aaron Philo Be A Fit for Virginia Tech At Quarterback?

Philo was Georgia Tech's second-stringer behind Haynes King last year.

Georgia Tech quarterback Aaron Philo (12) warms up before the start of the game against Georgia. | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Virginia Tech football is on the search for its new starting quarterback. Kyron Drones is out of eligibility following his redshirt senior campaign in 2025; consequently, the Hokies now turn to either their internal pool or a far more likely proposition: the transfer portal. One option that could be an intriguing choice for the Hokies is Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo.

The now-redshirt sophomore will have three years of eligibility, meaning that if he suited up for Virginia Tech, he could steer the ship for the 2026, 2027 and 2028 campaigns.

NEW: Georgia Tech QB Aaron Philo is expected to enter the NCAA transfer portal, @Kelly_Quinlan and @PeteNakos report.https://t.co/C2kE1lFhe0 pic.twitter.com/ZG8kWx6mqP

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) December 16, 2025

Some statistics:

Philo entered college as a three-star recruit from Prince Andrew Christian School; while there, he broke the Georgia state record for passing yards (previously held by Trevor Lawrence) by accumulating 13,922 yards.

Philo sat as the team's third-stringer in 2024 behind Haynes King and Zach Pyron; however he was thrust into action against Virginia Tech when Pyron exited. Philo tallied an 11-for-26 mark against the Hokies, passing for 184 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

Philo saw his next meaningful snaps against then-No. 4 Miami; sharing the snap count with King, Philo went 5-for-10 for 67 yards and a touchdown in a 28-23 win that dented the Hurricanes' ultimately unsuccessful playoff hopes. Two weeks later, Philo anchored Georgia Tech to a 30-29 nail-biting victory over NC State, where he threw for a career-high 265 yards. With 22 seconds left, he dashed into the endzone with an 18-yard rush to secure the game.

Philo had one game where he completed snaps in 2025, which was the Yellow Jackets' Sept. 6 contest against Gardner-Webb. In a 59-12 blowout, Philo went 21-for-28 for 373 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

In two seasons, Philo threw for 938 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions over seven games.

My thoughts:

I think that Philo is the ideal mold of quarterback that Virginia Tech would want if they're still looking for a mobile quarterback. Philo has operated in Faulkner's spread system for two years; it's unknown as of right now what type of offense new Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Ty Howle plans to deploy.

However, USA Today reported that Philo could become the next Florida quarterback, a direct result of previous Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner moving to become the Gators' new OC.

"The move to Florida would make sense based on Philo's familiarity with Faulkner's spread, air raid offense, which requires a mobile quarterback. If Philo transfers to Florida, he will join a Florida quarterback room that includes redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr., redshirt junior Aidan Warner and incoming true freshman Will Griffin."

A move to Florida would make sense, given that DJ Lagway has entered the transfer portal. I think Lagway is a more realistic target than Philo and think that Philo stands little chance of coming to Blacksburg. Then again, Virginia Tech hasn't set in its offensive game plan. That makes it malleable; how much weight that holds with any quarterback it recruits is yet to be seen.