Fresh off winning the starting job, the Gators transfer quarterback emerges as a dark-horse contender capable of steering Florida into the playoff race and chasing college football’s highest honor.
New Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall named Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo the starting quarterback this week, putting an end to the competition this spring and summer with Tramell Jones Jr.
Sumrall noted Philo won the competition because of his ability to operate the offense smoothly.
Florida will enter the regular season unranked, in part because of questions the Gators have about the offensive line and with Philo.
However, there is a chance Philo can be a quick learner at Florida, keeping the Gators in the College Football Playoff race this fall.
Andy Staples of On3 made a bold prediction for the upcoming season, believing the Heisman Trophy winner will come from a quarterback who wasn't a fun-time starter last season in the Power 4. He named Philo as one of those potential candidates.
"This isn’t nearly as implausible as it sounds," Staples wrote. "In fact, this describes six of the past 20 Heisman Trophy winners. Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel, Jameis Winston, Kyler Murray, and Bryce Young all were backups, redshirts, or — in Newton’s case — playing JUCO ball the year before they won the Heisman.”
"If new Alabama starter Keelon Russell or new Tennessee starter Faizon Brandon or new Florida starter Aaron Philo leads a team to the CFP, there is a good chance that QB will finish high in Heisman voting."
Sumrall noted this week that for Philo to be successful, he'll have to protect the football. While there are times Philo will need to take risks with deep passes, the young quarterback needs to be aware of situational football when making his throws.
"So going back to the quarterback thing, it's a full-body of work," Sumrall said, via USA Today. "What he did last week showed that he understood the mistake he made on the previous Saturday.
"I tell both quarterbacks when they make mistakes, 'I can live with that one,' based upon the situation or scenario within a game. Which ones can we not live with? He's learned. He's learning. They're constantly learning. Both those guys, the whole room is constantly learning because they're all still relatively young as football players."
Philo won't enter the season as a favorite to win the Heisman, but he could be a surprise pick if the Gators are contending for the College Football Playoff late in November.
