New Gators QB Aaron Philo eager to prove he can lead UF’s turnaround
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GAINESVILLE — New Florida Gators quarterback Aaron Philo’s first high school start was a four-interception flop following an offseason of build-up.
“Everyone was like, ‘I don’t know about this guy?’” his former coach Jon Richt said, recalling fan sentiment.
Rather than getting rattled, Philo went to work. The 16-year-old watched film, corrected his mistakes and threw five touchdowns the following week.
The rest is Georgia high school football history.
Florida hopes Philo’s maturity, resilience and talent are a sign of things to come from the Gators’ quarterback of the future.
Richt, Philo’s offensive coordinator at Prince Avenue Christian in Athens, is confident his former pupil is prepared to spearhead new coach Jon Sumrall’s turnaround at Florida.
“He’s super consistent,” Richt told the Orlando Sentinel. “He’s a smart guy, an intellectual guy, but he also processes visually exceptionally well. He understands his job and makes the guys around him better. They know exactly what they’re going to get from him.
“The kid is really, really good.”
Philo would have little chance to prove it during two seasons as Haynes Kings’ backup at Georgia Tech, where Philo completed 59 of 102 throws (57.8%) for 938 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
But Philo’s opportunity arrived after the Yellow Jackets’ offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner headed to Florida in early December. When the transfer portal closed Friday, Philo was the centerpiece of a crop of 22 scholarship players Sumrall and Co. had signed.
Philo’s pedigree and his relationship at Faulkner now give him the inside track to become Florida’s starter in 2026.
“Buster was the one who believed in him, and he believes in Buster,” Richt said.
Philo is prepared to earn the job, as well as the trust of his new coaches and teammates. Redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr., himself a decorated high school player from Jacksonville Mandarin, will have his say in the quarterback competition.
“Philo is not a guy who’s going to back down from that,” Richt said. “He was fired up to go push Haynes. He’s gonna want everybody in the room to get better, because he knows that’s what matters to the team.”
Despite rewriting the high school record books in Georgia, Philo has had to prove himself and put his team first since Day 1, dating to his four-interception debut.
By the end of his sophomore season, Philo had won over nay-sayers, along with 12 straight games before unbeaten Trinity Christian defeated Prince Avenue in the Class A Private state title game.
Philo would lose just one time during the 2022-23 seasons while capturing two state championships. Along the way, he produced 13,922 career passing yards, breaking Trevor Lawrence’s state record, and a single-season record 56 touchdowns in 2023.
But recruiting services needed to see more than big numbers produced at a small school.
Philo’s passes had zip, but he lacked the arm strength to throw eye-popping distances. At 6-foot-1 ¾, 220 pounds, Philo didn’t possess prototypical size. He was without the elite athletic ability common among the top-rated high school quarterbacks.
“When they watch routes on air, they’re going to watch a kid who can rip 80 yards and on a line, or someone who can run and jump and spin and do all this stuff,” Richt said. “That’s just not who he was.”
College coaches were left wanting during showcase events or visits to Athens, 20 miles east of Bogart — Philo’s home town with a population of 1,343 residents.
Richt, 35 and the son of longtime Georgia coach Mark Richt, has been around the sport long enough to understand the approach to recruiting, but also the pitfalls.
“They’re looking for guys that they can take a skill set and mold,” Jon Richt said. “He had a lot of the intangibles that people want — they say they want. It’s hard to show how he operates, functions and leads a football team.
“He’s best at being a leader, being a field general that understands where he needs to go with the ball and gets the ball there accurately and on time.”
Philo earned a 3-star ranking, received an offer from coach Kirby Smart to be preferred walk-on at Georgia and eventually committed to Minnesota before switching to Georgia Tech.
The move kept Philo closer to home and began a relationship with Faulkner that will continue in Gainesville.
“What’s great for Aaron is now he’s going to be in his third year with Buster,” Richt said. “He might not have had the in-game reps he’s wanted, but the amount of times he’s gone through scrimmages, the amount of times he’s practiced, the amount of times he’s played through situations with Buster, he trusts Buster, and Buster trusts Philo.
“That creates a lot of momentum for them.”
The Gators ultimately had trust issues at quarterback during a four-win 2025.
DJ Lagway followed an injury-plagued offseason with a sophomore slump after an offseason filled with accolades, NIL deals and even Heisman hype. Lagway, who led the SEC with 14 interceptions, announced Dec. 15 he would transfer.
By then, the fan base had already fitted Philo in orange and blue. Within days of the transfer portal opening Jan. 2, Philo was in the fold.
The next step will be the hardest. Philo will be the face of Sumrall’s Year 1 rebuild.
A native of Georgia, who grew up in Bulldogs country, will leave nothing to chance to ensure his first start at Florida is one to remember.
During the holiday break, Richt said, Philo spent five hours a day at Prince Avenue Christian’s football facility, training, watching film and talking football.
“He definitely has his priorities straight,” Richt said. “This is not by accident. It wasn’t an overnight success. Everybody thinks that’s a real thing. He knows that that’s fake.
“He knows the amount of time and effort he’s put into getting to where he’s at. He’s willing to do those things to make sure he’s ready and prepared.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
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