Florida's quarterback battle one of the most intriguing in the country

With only four weeks away from the start of the 2026 college football season, there are still a few teams to name a starting quarterback. Among teams still needing to name a starting quarterback is the Florida Gators, who need to replace DJ Lagway following his departure to Baylor.

Fall camp is starting soon, and after that will be the first week of games. Quarterbacks will only have a couple of weeks to improve their chances of starting, especially those who have limited tape out.

That being said, let’s take a look at Florida’s quarterback battle heading into the season.

At SEC media days, coach Jon Sumrall discussed the battle for the starting quarterback position, stating that while the program does not have a Heisman Trophy candidate, it does have quarterbacks in the room with good enough talent with both their arms and legs.

“They both are adequate runners. Neither one of them are elite runners. Neither one of them are slugs either. Both have good arms, both have good releases. Both can make all the throws. So there’s enough there for us to win with.” 

Tramell Jones was a true freshman in 2025 and backed up Lagway for essentially the entirety of last season. He did, however, see field time in a garbage-time win against Long Island, passing for 131 yards with two touchdowns.

Jones’ competition, the presumptive favorite for the job, Aaron Philo, backed up Haynes King at Georgia Tech the past two seasons and will also be joined by his offensive coordinator from Georgia Tech, Buster Faulkner. In the limited time he has seen on the field in place of King, Philo has thrown for 938 yards with two touchdowns to three interceptions during his career.

Though Philo may have the slight advantage at this point, the position battle should just be heating up as fall camp approaches.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida’s quarterback battle one of the most intriguing in the country