Who has the edge for Florida football's starting quarterback spot?

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Less than a week remains until Florida football's annual Orange and Blue Game, which also represents the end of the spring practice season. With the program in reboot mode, many questions still surround the Gators, including the starting quarterback job.

Among the many changes to have taken place over the past few months was the acquisition of former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Aaron Philo through the NCAA transfer portal, as well as the addition of his offensive coach at that same school, Buster Faulkner. Without a clear incumbent for the QB1 spot, Philo is entrenched in a battle with rising redshirt sophomore Tramell Jones.

The two have served as backups during their young collegiate careers — Jones held the clipboard for DJ Lagway last season in Gainesville while Philo played behind Haynes King in Atlanta. Both are looking to take a step forward this coming fall and take over as the starting play-caller.

CBS Sports writer Brad Crawford recently looked at some of the hottest spring football quarterback battles, including the one happening right now in the Swamp. He currently has Philo out in front, but his ascendance into the starting role is anything but a foregone conclusion at this point.

"Philo may have the leg up on Jones, given the arrival of Buster Faulkner as Florida's new offensive coordinator," Crawford begins. "Philo studied under Faulkner the last two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, playing behind veteran quarterback Haynes King. The Georgia native played in two games as a redshirt freshman, including a 373-yard start against Gardner-Webb with King on the mend."

His competition is "a former three-star signee in 2025 who flipped his commitment from Florida State, re-signed with the Gators in December after meeting with first-year coach Jon Sumrall." Jones completed 21 of 35 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns in appearances against the Long Island Sharks and Kentucky Wildcats last fall.

"Both quarterbacks rotated first-team reps and reportedly threw impressive touchdown passes during Florida's second closed scrimmage, but it was Philo who trotted out with the 1s first. Sumrall said he has 'no idea' who will be QB1 and said one of the players will have to 'earn' the right to start," he concludes.

Jon Sumrall on Florida's starting quarterback battle

"They're challenging each other, but they're doing it in a healthy, competitive way," Sumrall said on March 31. "I tell them all the time, you don't elevate by pushing someone else down, and really, someone else elevating should help you elevate.

"So, I like how they're competing with each other, not against each other. We got a long way to go to identify who's going to be the trigger man that gets the opportunity to start Game 1. Just because you start Game 1 doesn't mean you're starting Game 2 or 3 or 4."

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football's starting quarterback situation in spring practice

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