Tramell Jones probably won't be the starting QB, but Jon Sumrall's faith in him is growing

There has already been plenty of speculation that the Florida Gators quarterback competition isn't much of a competition at all and maybe Jon Sumrall's words confirm that at times.

But for argument's sake, this training camp battle between Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones continues, and the reports are Jones has shown enough to at least keep things interesting. Maybe not enough for Jones to win the job or even make Sumrall and Buster Faulkner think twice about the likely Week 1 starter, but it has to be enough for the coaches to believe they can go to him at any moment.

READ MORE: Insider reports make Florida’s QB battle look less mysterious than Buster Faulkner claims

Tramell Jones earning additional 1st-team reps is necessary

I don't think there's a doubt that Jones has the more tantalizing physical tools as a passer. He's just got a much more live arm than Philo. The ball comes out of his hand differently, and it's cleaner, and it gets to the spot quicker. There have been concerns about Philo's arm strength and there's nothing in camp to suggest that those issues aren't legitimate.

READ MORE: Aaron Philo practice clip reignites biggest concern in Florida’s QB battle

But arm strength is one part of the equation. The bigger part of running Faulkner's offense is simply knowing where everyone needs to be and what the options are from play to play. As Sumrall mentions, there are a lot of moving parts — far more than the rudimentary junk that Billy Napier ran. 

"The biggest growth that he's got to continue to make is, like, operating at the line of scrimmage with shifts, motions, those sort of things. But he's making plays. He's very comfortable in the pocket. He's got great energy. He's got good touch on the football. When things are right, they're right," Sumrall said. 

Sumrall added that people think that Philo has the job because he came with Faulkner to the program and people think that way because they aren't stupid. They can connect dots. Philo is Faulkner's guy. He recruited him to Georgia Tech and made it a point to bring him to Gainesville. No one would go through that much effort for a player just for them to end up holding a clipboard.

It's ok that Philo is going to be the first guy in, but it's equally important for Jones to show the coaches that they shouldn't hesitate to make a change if necessary; 

"In the spring, I think Philo was way ahead because of understanding the offense and Tramell was significantly behind. I think they've both taken some steps up. Tramell's probably had more upward mobility, the room to grow because he's learning the offense," Sumrall added.

Barring something completely unexpected, both Philo and Jones will get a fair share of snaps and opportunities n the first two weeks and Philo is likely going to start Week 3 at Auburn. The question then becomes if Jones will be an option if things aren't going the way they should on offense? That's when we'll finally get an answer about how much of a competition this is. 

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