Tramell Jones Jr. showed the maturity in disappointment that could define Florida's season

Tramell Jones Jr. has his assignment with the Florida Gators and plans on doing everything he can to make the most of it.

Jones, a redshirt freshman, finished second in the two-man race to determine the Gators' starting quarterback. He'll be the backup for Aaron Philo, who was announced as the starter on Monday by Jon Sumrall. It's a familiar position for Jones, who backed up DJ Lagway last year and played limited snaps.

Now he's in a bit of a different role. Jones will still be the backup, but he's also going to have to take this time to continue to learn everything about Buster Faulkner's offense and really push Philo in practice. It's the classic case of iron sharpening iron, and Jones has to be that tough steel right now. 

"I look at last year, but I even look at spring, just how much I've grown in developing and getting the offense together and getting everybody in the same spot that I think they need to be in and [where] they are going to be. And just learning football and being able to break down defenses, being able to make different throws, and just learning football in general," Jones said.

Tramell Jones is the face of the new culture in Florida football

Jones talked about how the competition didn't affect the team because everyone has the same goal of team success and winning. It's what Sumrall envisioned this team being about when he first arrived in Gainesville. Not everyone is going to play, but everyone is going to contribute to the process of winning.

Quarterback competitions are a delicate thing. They can create a wedge on a roster. Players see what's happening on the field, and they have their opinions on whom the guy should be. Mistakes get magnified. Players begin leaking things to the media or putting up cryptic messages on their social accounts.

And then there is the fan speculation. Was this really a competition? After all, Philo was recruited by Faulkner. That's "his guy." How many reps did each player get with the ones? Was it fair? 

Jones went up to the podium and did his best to squash all that. He spoke about the plays he made and the mistakes he made during practices and the scrimmage. Jones had highs and lows. He showed a lot of physical talent and flashes of a player that could capably perform at a high level in the SEC. Now he just has to stay on the grind and ignore the noise. Jones might not be the starter, but he's going to be a key part of the results this season.

"You want to be the quarterback here, and you want to play just because, I mean, being a quarterback at the University of Florida is different," Jones added. "And that's exactly what I want to do. So, now I'm going to keep working. I'm going to keep learning the offense. So, when my number's called, I'll be ready."

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