Where Florida's Aaron Philo lands among CBS Sports' 2026 QB tiers

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The start of the 2026 college football season is less than 90 days away, and as the starting lineups come into focus, it is becoming more and more apparent that this fall’s quarterback crop could be one to behold.

Ahead of the upcoming campaign, CBS Sports writer David Cobb divided every Power Four projected starting quarterback into 11 tiers: obvious Heisman candidates; all-conference caliber vets; proven and predictable; internal promotions; sophomore stars; the big reunion; out of the infirmary; high ceiling, low floor; tantalizing potential; transfer up swings; opportunity beckons.

Among those mentioned is Florida‘s redshirt sophomore play-caller Aaron Philo, whose starting job is not quite secure just yet. However, he is projected to open the year under center for the Gators when they face the FAU Owls on Sept. 5 in the Swamp.

The transfer portal acquisition came to Gainesville after his offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, Buster Faulkner, took that same position under newly hired head coach Jon Sumrall. This explains his placement in Cobb’s “the big reunion” tier, in which he ranks fifth out of the seven mentions in that category.

“Philo is a mystery, as he saw limited game action in his first two seasons,” Cobb notes. “But he’s not a mystery to Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. The two were together at Georgia Tech, and Faulkner thought enough of Philo to recruit him to Gainesville to help launch the Jon Sumrall era.”

There are still summer workouts and fall camp separating Philo from the starting job, with redshirt freshman Tramell Jone Jr. as well as true freshman Will Griffin also vying for the QB1 designation. But the former Yellow Jacket’s potential is one that the Orange and Blue will be banking on this season.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football’s Aaron Philo lands on ‘Big Reunion’ QB tier for 2026

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