Aaron Philo’s decision to transfer to Florida was heavily noted by Gator fans, but mostly went unnoticed by the national media. The QB from Georgia Tech first has to beat out Tramell Jones to even be the starter in Gainesville, and it’s not as if he was hyped coming out of high school.
But given his skill set and his familiarity with Florida’s new offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner, Philo has a chance to sneak up on people in 2026, and a new list from 247 Sports plants the seed for Philo to have a monster season even if people aren’t talking about him just yet.
Aaron Philo named to “Under-The-Radar” list
247 Sports highlighted 100 players who switched schools in the offseason who didn’t get a ton of national praise but could still be highly effective players in 2026. Philo was among that group.
Even though Philo had minimal playing time at Georgia Tech and wasn’t a highly ranked prospect coming out of high school, the Yellow Jackets had him in line to be their starter before he jumped ship to Florida.
Part of why Philo was overlooked is his relative lack of arm strength when it comes to deep shots. Several clips circulated after his commitment to Florida of some badly underthrown balls. But part of why Philo is considered to have a ton of upside is that he throws an accurate ball on anything within 15 yards, and Faulkner’s offense is more reliant on someone who can find the open man in space than someone who can chuck it 40 yards.
Graham Mertz didn’t have great arm strength, and he still managed to put together a productive 2023 season. DJ Lagway had all the arm strength in the world but couldn’t hit an intermediate throw to save his life.
So while Philo might not emerge from spring camp with any eye-popping throws that go viral, there is a quiet hope among Gator fans, and among those who have done a deeper film study on Philo, that he can be a more than capable pilot of Florida’s offense who just needs to get the ball into the hands of the cache of playmakers the Gators will have in 2026.