What Prince Avenue football coach said about QB Aaron Philo's talents
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Consistent.
That’s the kind of quarterback Prince Avenue Christian football coach Jon Richt said Florida will be getting in Aaron Philo.
“He’s a consistent quarterback, but also a consistent human being on and off the field,” Richt said. “He processes at a high level. Then his accuracy, his touch, his ability to make all his throws even when the play breaks down, his ability to feel the pocket and move around and make plays with his eyes down field is really, pretty exceptional.”
Philo graduated from Prince Avenue Christian in 2023, where he went 54-4 under Greg Vandagriff to earn four region and three GHSA state titles. Richt worked with him for five years, but only officially coached him for three, becoming the offensive coordinator at PACS during his junior season.
As a sophomore, Philo had 297 completions on 408 attempts for 4,540 yards, 47 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, adding 70 touches for 184 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground.
As a junior, he had 274 completions on 397 attempts for 4,598 yards, 54 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, adding 68 touches for 361 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground.
As a senior, he had 328 completions on 469 attempts for 4,596 yards, 56 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, adding 83 touches for 610 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.
In the 2023 state title win over Swainsboro, he solidified himself as the state’s leading passer with 13,922 career yards, surpassing Trevor Lawrence, Gunner Stockton and Deshaun Watson after notching three straight seasons at starter with more than 4,500 passing yards apiece.
Also in the state, he’s ranked third and fourth all-time with passing yards per season for his junior and senior performances. He’s ranked fifth all-time with passing yards per game for a 557-yard performance against Christian Academy of Knoxville in August 2021.
He’s third all-time for career passing touchdowns at 159 total, below Stockton and Lawrence respectively, and tied for first all-time for season passing touchdowns with K’Hari Lane from Macon County at 56. He’s thrown as many as 6 touchdowns in a single game.
“The biggest thing is, you’re going to get a guy that’s never going to get too high or too low, never going to get flustered,” Richt said. “You’re going to get someone who’s going to be consistent and be ready to take on whatever challenges come his way.”
Philo declared for the transfer portal on Dec. 17 via his Instagram. He spent two seasons with Georgia Tech, completing 59 passing attempts for 938 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He also had 95 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
The redshirt freshman quarterback told On3 on Jan. 6 that he was committing to Florida to continue his career with Jon Sumrall and the Gators.
He will be joining the former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, who also departed the Jackets for Sumrall’s Gator staff, as well as high school teammate Bailey Stockton.
The Gators went 4-8 in 2025, firing Billy Napier ahead of their Week 10 matchup against Georgia.
“Once he starts getting those in game reps, you’re going to see him settle into who he is as a quarterback, that system and how they attack,” Richt said. “The kid is pretty fundamentally sound … and I’m expecting them to do well.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: What Florida football will get from QB Aaron Philo
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