Florida enters Saturday's rivalry game against No. 3 Georgia at 5-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play. That puts them firmly in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but they need to keep momentum after upsetting Texas in Austin two weeks ago. Quarterback has been the biggest question mark hanging over the Gators.
Aaron Philo started Florida's first six games, helping them get off to a 4-2 start before suffering a right shoulder injury in their 38-19 loss to South Carolina on Oct. 10. He missed their last game against the Longhorns, with Tramell Jones Jr. getting his first career start and leading the Gators to victory. Jones threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, along with 41 rushing yards.
However, both quarterbacks have been dealing with injuries this week and were listed as questionable on the SEC availability report. They split practice reps, although reports indicated Philo had been getting first-team work. Coach Jon Sumrall stressed earlier in the week that the decision would ultimately come down to health and availability.
On Friday, college football insider Zach Abolverdi reported that the final decision has been made, with Philo set to start on Saturday against Georgia. Jones will also be available, but Florida is going back to its original starter for one of the biggest games of the season. More news: Texas’ Steve Sarkisian Turns Heads With Harsh Criticism of the SEC Philo is a 6-foot-1 junior from Bogart, Georgia, who transferred to Florida from Georgia Tech before the 2026 season.
He followed offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner to Gainesville after spending his first two seasons with the Yellow Jackets. At Prince Avenue Christian High School, Philo led his team to two straight state championships and broke Georgia's high school passing record held by now-NFL star Trevor Lawrence. In his first season at Florida, Philo has completed 105 of 149 passes (70.5%) for 1,341 yards and nine touchdowns with three interceptions through six games, along with 104 rushing yards and three rushing scores.
More news: Lane Kiffin Takes Clear Stance on College Football Playoff Expansion More news: College Football Playoff Hopeful Takes Aim at SEC and Big Ten Still, the decision to start Philo was unexpected given how well Jones just played against Texas. He helped the Gators pull off a massive upset in a tough road environment against a ranked opponent. That's typically not the type of player you turn away from, especially when you consider that it was his first-ever college start, and with how important Saturday's game against Georgia is.
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