Florida enters fall camp without a definitive starter at quarterback, an uncertainty that led many national analysts to exclude the Gators from playoff contention in many offseason predictions.
CBS Sports calls this race one of the nation's defining preseason storylines. Florida is one of three SEC programs still unsettled at quarterback, alongside Alabama and Tennessee.
Jon Sumrall's team boasts a talented group of skill position players, highly touted coordinators on both sides, and a proven leader at head coach, but none of that matters if Florida can't find consistency behind center. Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo and redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. remain locked in a tightly contested battle for QB1, with both players showing flashes
in spring camp.
Coach Sumrall emphasized that the "full body of work" will be considered to determine a starter, rather than any one standout performance at practice or in a scrimmage. Production or raw talent won't be the only factors. Leadership, decision-making, and command of the offense will carry equal weight for a Florida team hoping to rebound from last season's 4-8 finish.
All indications point to a competition that will extend through the early portion of camp. National college football reporters Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer believe "it's Philo's job to lose," stating that the redshirt sophomore holds a slight edge in the contest.
"While redshirt freshman Tramell Jones had a few practices during the spring where he outperformed Philo, the Georgia Tech transfer — who played under new Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner at Georgia Tech — was the more consistent of the two during the spring and clearly outperformed Jones in about 10 of those 15 spring practices, per sources," Zenitz and Hummer wrote.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Time running out for Gators to settle QB battle between Philo, Jones
