Tramell Jones makes it clear he's fully sold on Jon Sumrall's vision for Florida football

The Florida Gators will open training camp in a few weeks and the first practice is scheduled for July 30. There will be a few position battles across the board, but none will get more attention than the quarterback competition where Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. will be going heads up to see who will earn the right to be the Week 1 starter against Florida Atlantic on September 5.

Jones sat down with Jacksonville-area sports reporter Stuart Webber for a long-ranging interview, which touched on the redshirt freshman's development and the excitement that Jon Sumrall has brought to the program.

READ MORE: Jon Sumrall hyping up Tramell Jones only adds more intrigue to Florida's QB1 battle

The young quarterback was one of several key players that Sumrall was able to retain after taking over for Billy Napier. Jones said what many of the other players that have stuck around also expressed — they believe in Sumrall's plan to rebuild the Gators into a powerhouse.

"We see the vision. We saw Coach Sumrall's energy. He had a vision for us, and they're giving us a fair opportunity," Jones said. "We want to be Florida Gators. We want to build this team back up to where it used to be, and we want to be successful here."

READ MORE: CBS Sports points out the one thing that may keep Florida from a breakthrough season

Tramell Jones goes in detail on the QB competition with Aaron Philo

Jones said that he and Philo are good teammates and play off of each other quite a bit. Philo has the natural advantage of being more familiar with Buster Faulkner's offense because of their time together at Georgia Tech, but Jones said that he's picking it up well and added that it is important for him to learn the offense on his own, so it becomes easier to retain the information. Jones said he spends a lot of time on the whiteboard drawing out the play designs. 

"I'm a visual learner. I like to see it for myself. Taking the extra time with the coaches and asking the questions that need to be asked," Jones explained. 

The competition is a healthy one and Jones is healthier for it. He was named the primary backup behind DJ Lagway last season but admitted that he was still trying to recover from an injury he suffered as a senior at Mandarin High School in Jacksonville. It's clear that he's also spent some time in the weight room and looks much bigger this year. 

"Competing has made everyone better. Not just on the football field, but in the weight room and how early we are getting to the building," Jones said. "It's the standard that [Sumrall] has set for us. You can just see the difference from last year."

Jones' emergence in spring camp was a pleasant surprise. The odds are still more likely that Philo gets the nod, but no one can argue with the arm talent that Jones showed in the spring and the fact that he has the confidence to make every throw on the field. Whether he's starting or not, there is a good chance Jones will find his way on the field this season. 

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