Florida football named Aaron Philo as starting QB for Week 1 opener vs FAU

Florida football coach Jon Sumrall has named redshirt sophomore Aaron Philo as the starting quarterback for the Week 1 opener against Florida Atlantic,

The 6-foot-1, 207-pound Philo brings familiarity with the offense with new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, who was hired by the Florida Gators from Georgia Tech last December.

In eight career games at Georgia Tech as Haynes King’s backup, Philo passed for 938 yards with 2 TDs and 3 interceptions.

Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN, Philo finished his prep career as Georgia high school football’s all-time leader in passing yards (13,922), breaking the record previously held by current Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (13,902 yds. at Cartersville H.S. – 2014-17).

Philo beat out returning redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. for the starting job in a tight competition throughout fall camp. Sumrall said it came down to Philo being able to operate the offense better at the line of scrimmage.

Sumrall said he made the decision following UF’s second intrasquad scrimmage on August 22 after meeting with both QBs.

This story will be updated

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football named Aaron Philo as starting QB for Week 1 opener vs FAU