Once DJ Lagway announced he was departing Florida for a fresh start, the first order of business for Gator coach Jon Sumrall was to figure out who his QB1 would be for the 2026 season. He convinced Tramell Jones to stay, still had Aidan Warner on the roster, and got Will Griffin to keep his commitment and sign with Florida.
But Florida also brought in Aaron Philo from Georgia Tech out of the transfer portal, and the ensuing battle for QB1 is going to define Florida’s spring season.
Buster Faulkner talks about the upcoming quarterback competition
New offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner appeared on Gator Tales with Sean Kelley and he was asked about the upcoming QB competition that will take place this spring. Faulkner claims that everyone will get a fair shot to win the QB1 job:
“There are several quarterbacks in the room. They'll all get a shot at it.
I've got an idea who Aaron (Philo) is, but I also got a pretty good idea what Tramell (Jones) can do, and really excited about working with all the guys.
And I think one thing that you'll find out is what we will play to the strengths of whoever that quarterback is, whoever wins the job, and who gives us the best chance to win.”
It echoes what Sumrall said earlier this week too, that Florida would have a competition this offseason.
The struggle for Florida is that there isn’t a proven QB on the roster. Philo has made a couple of spot appearances and played well enough, but arm strength concerns are going to be a theme that follows him. Philo has the advantage of having worked with Faulkner the past two seasons, and he was essentially in line to take over as Georgia Tech’s starting QB had he stayed in Atlanta. One would think Philo wouldn’t jump ship from a near guaranteed Power Four starting job unless he had a good idea of his chance to win the job in Gainesville.
But one could say the same of Jones, who had a monster fall camp last year to win the backup QB job as a true freshman. Jones made appearances against LIU, where he played well, and against Kentucky, where he had a mostly forgettable second half. If Jones felt there was a Group of Six landing spot to get him a starting job, it wouldn’t have been shocking to see him leave. But if he feels he has a real shot himself to win the QB1 job in Gainesville, then a real battle could heat up.
The Gators also have Warner, who had to come in during the 2024 game against Georgia and then started the next week against Texas. It didn’t go well. There is also walk-on Aaron Williams on the roster, but it would take a lot for him to see action.
The intriguing member of the room is Griffin, the four-star freshman from Tampa. It’s highly doubtful that Griffin wins the job as a true freshman, but he does have a ton of qualities that mirror what Faulkner worked with at Georgia Tech with QB Haynes King. This is pure speculation, but don’t rule out there being some package plays Faulkner conjures up to use Griffin’s running ability in 2026.
The spring game for Florida is on April 11.