Now that Aaron Philo is the official starter for the Gators, we can really start to hone in on his strengths and weaknesses. Philo didn’t play much at Georgia Tech, but he did get enough action to give us a basis for what to expect.
And since there are a ton of narratives floating around about Philo, we here at Hail Florida Hail are going to do our best to separate fact from fiction regarding Philo.
Fact vs fiction with Florida QB Aaron Philo
Aaron Philo doesn’t have arm strength: It’s complicated
“Damnit Ben. You are doing a fact vs. fiction piece, and you are starting out with ‘It’s complicated.’ What is wrong with you?”
But let’s be honest, this is the headliner when it comes to Philo and has been one of his most debated traits. We are on record here at Hail Florida Hail expressing our concern about Philo’s arm strength back in December, before any practice clips came out that sent Florida fans into a frenzy.
As Brooks Austin, AKA The Film Guy, pointed out in an extended breakdown this week, Philo has “arm strength”; he just may lack “arm talent.” In other words, Philo has plenty of game clips where he can rip a 10-yard pass with as much pace as anyone. What gets Philo in trouble is that he doesn’t always have the best touch when trying to go 20+ yards down the field.
He has a clip against Virginia Tech from 2024 where he showcases a deep throw that is as top-tier as one would want from a freshman. And so when he opens the NC State game with an underthrown ball to Eric Singleton Jr. that would have been a touchdown if he threw the ball further, it’s not because he can’t get the ball there. He just didn’t have the touch to lead him.
To further this point, Philo was 15-for-20 on throws between 10-19 yards while at Georgia Tech. He was 8-for-25 on throws over 20 yards.
Aaron Philo can’t run: False
He’s no Haynes King, at least not yet, when it comes to being a runner. But Philo is not some statue in the back who can’t take off when needed. He’s not necessarily a running QB, but he is capable of running.
The game where Philo best showcased his running ability was the 2024 game against NC State. Philo had seven carries in that game for 57 yards, including a game-winning 18-yard run for a touchdown.
He’s no Tim Tebow either, but he will punish teams if they don’t respect his ability to scramble.
Aaron Philo won the job because of his connection with Buster Faulkner: True
Don’t take our word for it; litteraly just take the word of Jon Sumrall. As fall camp progressed, it was time to declare a starting QB for the 2026 season, the narrative started to shift from the battle being a 50/50 battle to “Well, Philo does have a better grasp of the offense.”
Sumrall himself said that Philo had a significant advantage in the spring because of his knowledge of the offense, and when Sumrall was asked what the deciding factor was, he said Philo ran all the presnap stuff far more efficiently than Tramell Jones.
Fair or unfair, both Philo and Jones were taking a test where Philo essentially already knew all the answers.
Aaron Philo makes sense for this offense: True
We’ve made the argument throughout that Jones has the far higher ceiling than Philo and, as noted above, it seems like he didn’t get the starting job due to circumstances more than anything.
That doesn’t mean Philo is a poor fit for what Florida wants to do in 2026. With all the playmakers that exist on Florida’s roster, the Gators, at the end of the day just need a guy who can get the ball into their hands in space. And with concerns along the offensive line, Florida might need a guy who knows the offense in his sleep and can find his hot routes without having to think.
The term game manager has been getting tossed around, but that might not be a terrible thing for Florida in 2026.
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