The week that was with the Gators: Aaron Philo named QB1, Todd Golden extends, and Soccer keeps winning

Last week we rolled out a new piece we titled “The week that was with the Gators” to recap all the headlines that had taken place over the previous seven days. You guys, the faithful readers of Hail Florida Hail, seemed to like the concept based on the traffic we got.

So, given another crazy week in Gator Nation, there are the top stories from the past seven days to help you get caught up with everything happening with Florida one week out from the 2026 season starting.

Florida names Aaron Philo its starting QB for the 2026 season

The big headline of the week came on Monday when Jon Sumrall announced that Aaron Philo was going to be the starting QB for the Gators to being the 2026 season. As we had chronicled throughout fall camp, this didn’t come as a surprise to anyone paying attention and even though Sumrall kept trying to play the QB battle down the middle, it wasn’t that much of a secret that Philo was going to win the job.

Tramell Jones responds to disappointment the right way

The thing about a QB battle is that it is a zero-sum game at the end of the day. In order for Philo to be the starting QB, that means Tramell Jones can not. Ignoring what we or other fans may think in terms of who should be the starter, Jones gave a press conference on Tuesday where he admitted he is disapointed, but he is ready to support Florida any way he can.

Bryce Lovett unexpectedly emerges at left tackle

Hidden in all the starting QB talk is the fact that Bryce Lovett now has the inside track to be Florida’s starting left tackle in 2026. This was not on the radar for most people even two or three weeks ago, but Sumrall has praised the progress Lovett has made. Lovett began 2025 as Florida’s starting right tackle, but was shuffled out into a rotational role two games into the season.

Todd Golden extends with Florida

At least for now, Gator fans can breathe a sigh of relief that Todd Golden isn't going anywhere in the near future. After an offseason where he was rumored for a couple different jobs, including UNC and the Golden State Warriors, Golden has finally signed a contract extention. According to Joe Tipton of On3, Golden has signed a six-year extention.

Florida’s talent level raises the expectations for Sumrall

We have made the point all offseason that Florida has more than enough talent for Sumrall to work with that we are allowed to have expectations for him in year one. 247Sports put out their Talent Composite Rankings for 2026, and the Gators have the 12th highest-rated roster in the country. It’s not good enough to win a national championship, but it’s all good enough that a 6-6 season shouldn’t be acceptable.

Hail Florida Hail officially predicts a 9-3 season

You can call us crazy, or claim we have drunk too much of spiked Kool-Aid, but going through Florida’s schedule game-by-game, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for Florida to go 9-3 this year. Go argue with a wall if you disagree.

Florida Soccer announces its return against FSU

Shifting from football to futbol, Florida Soccer stormed its way back into the national conversation with a resounding 3-1 win over FSU on Sunday that wasn’t even that close. The win vaulted the Gators from unranked to No. 20 in the country under first year head coach Nick Zimmerman.

The soccer turnaround becomes more than a one-game story

What’s this? Two soccer stories in our roundup? But yesterday’s 6-0 win over Jacksonville was significant because it's the first time since 2019 that Florida has had a three-game winning streak. It’s also the first time since 2019 that Florida has scored at least three goals in at least four separate games in a single season. And for those keeping track, we are only four games into the season.

Sumrall’s attention to unusual situations offers encouragement

Back to the gridiron, Florida is going to have a “mock game” on Saturday. As Sumrall explained it, the game is a chance to work on unusual situations that may happen, such as the new fair catch kick rule that mimics the rule the NFL has had. 

Aaron Philo enters the season with plenty to prove

Philo may have won the job, but Sumrall has tried to claim his spot isn’t locked if he doesn’t play well. To that point, a CBS ranking of QBs puts Philo 12th out of 16 in the SEC. If he plays within Buster Faulkner’s system though, he could finish as a top-half QB in the SEC.

Heze Kent keeps making his case to remain at tight end

One of the notable moments to come from Florida’s scrimmage last Saturday was when tight end Heze Kent caught a touchdown pass. Kent’s story is one of hard work, as he has the build to be an offensive tackle and came to spring camp at 313 pounds. But Kent really wants to be a tight end, and he was told he would need to slim down. Already, Kent is down to 288 pounds.

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