After Billy Napier and DJ Lagway left, there's no more certainty in Gainesville. And it's a fun uncertainty. After years of underperforming, Gator fans have something to look forward to.
Imagine how an ant feels in a petri dish, under a microscope, having your every move magnified.
That’s what it’s like being a quarterback for a Power 4 school. Even more so when you’re playing in the SEC.
After the University of Florida fired Billy Napier and brought in Jon Sumrall from Tulane, it seemed all but a forgone conclusion that DJ Lagway was going to hit the transfer portal.
And he did not waste any time, ultimately signing with the Baylor Bears.
That left the position for the taking, and redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. had the upper hand, until he didn’t.
When a new coach arrives on campus, he’ll want to see what he has in a field general. And if the decision isn’t clear-cut, a competition must commence.
In comes Aaron Philo, the redshirt sophomore quarterback from Georgia Tech, and someone who has great familiarity with Florida’s new offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner.
Faulkner was the main driving force in bringing Philo to Gainesville and didn’t have to do much convincing for Sumrall to bring him on.
“Buster is very confident in Philo and his readiness to be a high-level player. So that made me more confident because he saw him every day for the last couple years, so that was a huge part of that," Sumrall said.
But he also made sure to give Jones his flowers to ensure that a competition is on the way.
"I think it also is probably an endorsement of how I feel about Tramell. I think Tramell has got a really high ceiling, too, so I'm excited."
Since neither of these players have been a consistent starter in college football, it’s difficult to pinpoint who is favored here.
Jones has a tremendous pocket presence with a quality arm, but the one part of his game that stands out most is his leadership.
Rather than hitting the portal once a new regime came into town, Jones opted to stay in Gainesville, and became all in.
“When you first get around and you see the interaction he has with the other guys, the other guys really like him and flock to him. He's a natural leader in that regard, like he has just that factor that people want to be around him and associate with him,” quarterbacks coach Joe Craddock said. “He's a really good kid, a really good person.”
For Philo, he holds a high ceiling given how successful he was at the high school level. But the transition to college will continue to be questioned until it’s not. CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer likes his upside, but is still cautious in putting stock in him.
“Philo is more projection than certainty. He's thrown 102 passes in his two-year career for 938 yards on 9.2 yards per attempt. He's also averaged 5.9 yards per carry in limited action. Those are intriguing stats, and several front office staffers feel Florida got a relative steal with Philo compared to paying top dollar for the higher-ranked QBs of the cycle.”
What’s this all mean? It’s likely that this competition will go down to the wire. Florida is in a turnover period, still trying to figure out what it has in its program, but at least if one doesn’t work out, the Gators have a plan B.
Sumrall’s reputation precedes itself and led Tulane to a College Football Playoff position – the first time in school history.
But in the SEC, it’s never easy.
For a program still searching for its identity, having two legitimate options under center is a luxury Florida hasn’t had in years.
