Aaron Philo is thriving at Florida. What if the former Gophers commit stayed with Minnesota?

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Bogart, Georgia native quarterback Aaron Philo was verbally committed to Minnesota for 40 days in the spring of 2023, as a high school prospect. One day after he officially flipped his college choice to Georgia Tech, the Gophers landed a commitment from Fayetteville, Arkansas quarterback Drake Lindsey. Just under four years later, both players are thriving.

After two years at Georgia Tech, Philo followed offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner to Florida through the transfer portal last offseason. He earned the starting quarterback role in Jon Sumrall’s first season as head coach, and he has gotten off to a great start.

Through three games, Philo has completed 73.4% of his passes for 721 passing yards, eight total touchdowns and two interceptions. He won his first start on the road in Week 3 at Auburn in a gutsy performance, and he’s blossoming into a potential star.

Philo finished one spot ahead of Lindsey as the 55th-ranked quarterback in the 2023 high school recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Philo was the 841st-ranked recruit in the country, and Lindsey was ranked 878th.

Lindsey has had a much different start to his college career. He sat behind Max Brosmer as a true freshman before taking over the starting role in 2025. He has completed 63.8% of his passes for 3,179 yards, 27 total touchdowns and seven interceptions throughout his Gophers career.

There’s a lot that goes into high school recruiting decisions, and there could be a lot of reasons why Philo flipped his original college decision from Minnesota to Georgia Tech. Maybe the Gophers told him they were recruiting Lindsey? Maybe Philo just wanted to play closer to home? Maybe Georgia Tech just convinced him to change his mind? He’s probably the only person who knows for sure, but it’s fair to think Minnesota might not have gotten Lindsey if Philo remained committed.

Overall, it feels like a situation where Philo, Minnesota and Lindsey are all happy with their decisions. Philo is a starting quarterback in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and Lindsey is in the middle of his second year as a starter. But it’s sure fun to wonder how different things would look if Philo signed with the Gophers in 2023.

Quarterback is probably the least of Minnesota’s worries heading into its 2026 Big Ten opener at Washington, but Philo is a much different player than Lindsey. He’s listed at 6-foot-1, compared to Lindsey’s 6-foot-5 stature, and Philo is a much more elusive runner.

Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Greg Harbaugh Jr. has gone all in on Lindsey. He was key in his high school recruitment, which included holding off a late push from Arkansas. The decision has probably bought Harbaugh a bit more time, despite incredibly inconsistent results as a playcaller. We’ve seen how important Philo’s relationship is with his offensive coordinator, and Lindsey might be closer with Harbaugh.

Florida and Minnesota are probably both thrilled with the quarterback situations right now, but it’s fun to think about how different things could look if a few decisions went the other way.

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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Sep 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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