Aaron Philo faces fierce competition for Florida's QB1 spot. Can his familiarity with the offensive system overcome Tramell Jones Jr.'s rising play this fall?
The Florida Gators have yet to announce their starting quarterback for the upcoming season.
It was largely expected that Aaron Philo would run away from the competition, as he transferred from Georgia Tech to Florida to join his former offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner.
Tramell Jones Jr. is making the competition a true battle, and it's putting pressure on Philo to get where he needs to be in order to earn the starting job. UF needs Philo, who has more history with Faulkner's offense, to take the QB1 job this spring.
Brad Crawford of CBS Sports believes Faulkner will ultimately win the battle, even though Jones had a much better day at the final practice scrimmage this spring.
"He's an ideal fit in Faulkner's structured system that also involves out-of-pocket movement from its quarterback," said of Philo.
"Florida did not name a starter after spring camp; however, following a competitive battle between Philo and Tramell Jones Jr., Philo received much of the first-team reps over 15 total practices, but it was Jones who turned heads during the final spring scrimmage with a better performance.
"This is a competition we expect to spill into fall camp before Faulkner likely rolls with the player he knows best."
A lot is resting on Florida to get this position right. With questions about a new offensive line and strengths at running back and receiver, how the Gators do this season will largely depend on how good Jones or Philo can play.
Crawford seems to think Philo has the ability to emerge as a winner in the competition this fall after a slow transition to Florida this spring.
If Philo were to win the starting job in training camp, that would come after gaining serious momentum during those summer practices. That kind of momentum could carry into the season, which could give a boost to Florida's offense.
The Gators ultimately need their defense to be the leader of this team. The offense will need some new players, especially on the offensive line, if UF will compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff. But Philo could lead this team to a bowl game.