This Florida Gators quarterback has received an eye-catching outlook after his decision to transfer.
Two years ago, the Florida Gators thought they had landed one of the best quarterbacks in the nation when they bagged five-star recruit DJ Lagway.
Needless to say, Lagway did not exactly pan out in Gainesville, and he departed the program following this past season.
There were plenty of big-name quarterbacks available in the transfer portal this winter, but Florida did not net any of them. Instead, the Gators settled for former Georgia Tech signal-caller Aaron Philo.
Considering ex-Yellow Jackets offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner is now calling plays for Jon Sumrall a Florida, the move made sense. But Philo is still vastly unproven.
Despite Philo not being a big name, is it possible that the three-star prospect could end up becoming a star for the Gators?
Chris Hummer of CBS Sports seems to think there is potential for that to happen, as he listed Philo among 15 under-the-radar transfer additions that could take the college football world by storm in 2026.
Aaron Philo. Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images."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," Hummer wrote. "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."
The Bogart, Ga. product has also caught the attention of executives around the nation, with one ACC assistant general manager making a rather strong claim on Philo.
"Philo to UF is a huge win, and I think he will perform better than a good chunk of other transfer QBs ranked above him," the GM said, per Hummer.
Florida went just 4-8 last season and has posted four losing campaigns over the last five years, so the Gators have definitely hit quite the rough patch.
While underwhelming quarterback play is not the only reason for Florida's recent demise, it has certainly been a prominent factor. Whether or not Philo can actually reverse course in the Swamp remains to be seen.
The Gators also added wide receiver Eric Singleton in the portal to put alongside of Vernell Brown, and running back Jadan Baugh has decided to return for 2026.
Florida definitely has some weapons for Philo. We'll see if it works.
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