‘Really impressive this spring' – Jon Sumrall's comments highlight intense Florida Gators QB competition
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The quarterback position has been an issue for the Florida Gators, but there is a lot of talent in the room.
The biggest focus this offseason for the Florida Gators has been the hiring of head coach Jon Sumrall. He was tasked with fixing a broken program that Billy Napier couldn’t bring back to prominence.
The two biggest flaws for Napier were recruiting and the offense. Quarterback wasn’t nearly good enough, and it wasn’t from a lack of trying. DJ Lagway was one of the highest-ranked quarterbacks in program history as a five-star recruit.
In Sumrall’s first year as the head coach, there will be a real competition for the starting quarterback job with three candidates: Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo, redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr., and true freshman Will Griffin.
Jon Sumrall praises Tramell Jones Jr. as a person and player
Being a new head coach, Sumrall has been very active doing every interview possible across the board. With the quarterback competition set to take over the Gators during fall camp, Sumrall had a lot of positive things to say about Jones, but it was what he said about the person that stood out the most.
“Really good talent. His energy is good. I think learning how to be consistent day in, day out, like his highs were really, really impressive this spring. And it’s funny, I was with him this morning. I said, ‘Hey, remember that where we talked about urgency detail all the time?’ Because if he can find that groove and rhythm of being his best every day, man, what a bright future he’s got. And working with him day in, day out, great young man, fun to be around. Good personality, good teammate, and has the physical tools so excited that he’s our football team and really can’t wait to watch him continue to take steps forward. I think in our exit meeting that we had right after the spring game, I think he was very intentional about receiving that feedback and applying it.”
Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall
When the Gators signed Philo, many felt he was going to be the guy at quarterback from the get-go. The Gators have had other ideas, with this being a true competition. In the little we’ve seen from Jones, he’s got the goods to be the guy. It’s important to remember that Jones won the backup quarterback job as a true freshman.
The competition is going to be one of the best things to keep an eye on during fall camp, and the mentality for Jones could be a huge factor in that decision.
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