Florida quarterback Aaron Philo met with reporters after being named the Gators’ starter for the season opener.
Philo discussed what earning the job means to him, how he responded to the news and the role Tramell Jones Jr. played in pushing him throughout the competition. He also detailed his growth as a decision-maker, his relationship with offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and the confidence he has in Florida’s offensive line and skill players.
The Georgia Tech transfer also reflected on learning from Haynes King, facing defensive coordinator Brad White’s scheme in practice and the standard Jon Sumrall has established entering the season.
Here’s everything Philo had to say.
What does it mean to win the starting job and follow the lineage of Florida quarterbacks?
I'm honored, and I don't take it lightly at all. I don't take this
position for granted at all. I'm very blessed, very honored. It's something that I've worked my whole life to get to, and so I definitely don't take it lightly. And I'm going to do everything in my power to bring Florida back.
Who was the first person you told after you heard the news?
I kind of didn't get a chance to call anybody and tell anybody because, when Coach Sumrall met with us, we were going to keep it between us until he released it to the media. So I didn't tell anybody, and then the news broke, and everybody kind of just found out that way.
How did your parents react?
My parents were extremely excited. They know how hard I've worked to get to this point. And they've sacrificed a lot for me to get here. So I'm thankful for them and all that they've done for me as well.
What was your initial reaction to hearing the news?
I would say I was just extremely excited. You work your whole life to get here, and I've worked so hard to get here. So I would just say extremely excited and honored and ready to go play.
How do you keep the decision from changing your mindset or hunger to improve?
Tramell pushes me each and every day. So I understand that I have to go out there and I have to perform, and practicing with him each and every day, he pushes me to be my best each and every day. And he's a great player. And having that, it pushes me to be better.
Where does your ability to shake off mistakes come from?
I used to pitch in baseball, and if you throw a ball, you got to move on to the next pitch. It's kind of like that in football. Something happens, you got to move on to the next play. It's kind of just a mindset in life as well. Adversity is going to strike. Bad things are going to happen. You just got to keep your head down and keep going forward and not change.
When was the last time you were in a true quarterback competition?
I'd have to say probably going into my sophomore year of high school.
What mindset does a quarterback competition require?
I think it's just putting your head down and going to work each and every day. When you have guys to push you, we competed our butts off. It was a battle, man. That just pushes each of us to be better. It pushed me to be better. So I would just say just competing, really.
How confident are you that both quarterbacks could lead the offense successfully?
First off, I feel like we've both grown tremendously. Tramell, he's grown so much just throughout learning the offense and everything. I feel like we could both go out there and we could both win games for this football program. I'm extremely confident in him. I think he's confident in me. When we have each other, we can watch film together, ask each other what we saw. It's just nice to have each other. It really is.
How did Tramell Jones Jr. improve over the offseason, and how did that push you?
I think just getting more comfortable in the offense. When you know what you're doing each and every play, that allows you to play faster. I think that's what happened with him. He started executing at a really high level, and he's done a really good job.
Did you ever feel Tramell Jones Jr. closing the gap, and how did that motivate you?
He's a baller. I'll just put it at that. He battled really hard. It pushed me to be better, no doubt.
How has your relationship with Buster Faulkner grown?
Just kind of knowing what he wants to do and understanding what he wants to do with each play, and also just knowing each play, what he wants out of it. When he's going to call something, I think that just helps a lot.
How much more confidence do you have in the offensive line than you did in the spring?
They've grown so much just throughout the spring and throughout the summer. They've battled their butts off, they worked their butts off. I'm really excited for them to see them go out and play.
How does confidence in the offensive line affect you in the huddle?
It's huge. When we protect, we got guys that can go downfield and make plays. So it's big time.
How do the playmakers around you keep you from trying to do too much?
Our skill positions are, as you said, extremely good. It allows me to just kind of dish the ball around and let them go to work and not have to be a hero. Just kind of get them the ball in space and let them go make plays.
What did you learn most about the offense from the second scrimmage?
I believe that we have a chance to be extremely explosive when we come ready to play. I feel like it's exciting.
What improvement stood out in the second scrimmage compared with the first?
I think we just came ready to play. To be honest, I think that's what it was.
What was it like spending time with Danny Wuerffel?
It was awesome. Me, Tramell and Will (Griffin), we all sat down and ate lunch with him yesterday, and it was awesome just getting to know him, getting to know his background. He's a great character and a Florida legend, so being able to spend time with him was amazing.
Did Danny Wuerffel talk to you about navigating quarterback battles?
No, sir. Not really. He was just kind of telling us how blessed we are to be at the University of Florida. He's just excited to see where this thing goes.
How much goes into operating the offense before the snap?
You got to get the play call in. You got to make sure everybody's lined up. You got to keep an eye on the play clock because we do shift and motion a lot. So keeping an eye on the play clock while having all those motions, and then also looking at the defense to see what they're trying to do, how they're lining up and where can we attack them with the play.
Is your ability to see the field innate or something you developed?
Just playing football, I feel like it's something that you develop over time. I do think there's a little innate thing there, just being able to see things. But I threw the ball a lot in high school. I got to see a lot of different things, I feel like, and I felt like that helped me develop as a passer a lot.
What has helped you cut down on turnovers?
I think just knowing the time and the place when you can force a ball and when you can't force a ball, and also recognizing that we have really good running backs, we have really good receivers. So I don't have to go out there and make hero throws. I can protect the ball, make safe throws to those guys, and let them go to work.
How do you handle turnovers while developing chemistry with new teammates?
I would say you kind of just got to shrug it off. It happens, but they can't happen. You got to know the time and the place where you can try to make a throw. You got to know when you can't. You kind of just got to know where you're going to be able to make a throw and where you're not. You really just have to protect the ball. It's all about the ball.
What did it mean to avoid interceptions in Saturday's scrimmage?
It was definitely a goal. I knew I had to protect the ball. It's something that I've set a goal for myself not to turn the ball over. So it's pretty good.
Can you walk us through your touchdown run, and what do you bring as a runner?
I'm not going to run scared. So when you run the ball, especially in this league, if you run scared, you're going to get killed. So you got to put your head down and be ready to take hits and be tough.
Why did you choose football over baseball?
I kind of just fell in love with the game of football my sophomore year. I played baseball up until my freshman year, and after that, I decided I wanted to focus on football. I really just fell in love with it. I'm glad I decided to play football.
What does it take to be the toughest player in the building mentally and physically?
I think it's definitely true. You got to be able to shrug things off. Things aren't always going to go the way that you want them to go. That comes with the mentally tough part. You just got to be able to move on from things. Things aren't always going to go the way you wanted to go, and then physically, you got to be able to take hits and you got to be able to get up and you got to be able to do it again and again and again.
Where does your toughness come from?
Probably just growing up playing sports my whole life and my parents just drilling it into me: be tough.
What was Buster Faulkner's message after the decision?
I talked to him after we met with Coach Sumrall, and he just said congratulations. He just explained to me what we need to do. Just dishing the ball to the playmakers and just executing each and every play.
How did Bailey Stockton react to you winning the starting job?
He was excited. But he would have been excited if it was me or Tramell. This is a team thing. It's not a me and Bailey show. We're all for the team. He would have been excited if Tramell was starting, just like if I was starting.
What kind of weapon can Bailey Stockton be in this offense?
I'm really excited to see him go out and play. He's extremely explosive. I think he's really good in and out of the break of routes, and I think he's a really good route runner, and he understands space.
What did you learn from Haynes King about carrying yourself as a starting quarterback?
It was a blessing to learn from Haynes. He was a great role model for me each and every day in the building, out of the building. He set a great example for me, taught me you got to be tough to play this position. I saw that firsthand. Then just how he carries himself throughout practice each week and how he prepares for a game. So it was awesome to be able to learn from him.
Outside of reducing turnovers, where did you grow most during fall camp?
That's a good question. I would say probably just understanding pass protection a little more.
Was learning pass protection harder with a rotating offensive line?
I think it's different seeing a different defense every day. They mix it up, they do a good job mixing it up. So I would say just understanding pass protection and making calls that need to be made.
What was it like facing Brad White's defense while competing for the starting job?
I enjoyed it because it's going to make us better. When you see that each and every day, you're getting a bunch of looks and you want to go against the best. You want to go against different looks because it makes you better. So I'm glad we were able to do that.
Has the defense shown you formations or looks you had never seen before?
There's definitely been a few that have thrown me off a little bit. To deal with it as a quarterback for the first time, you kind of just got to simplify it in your mind. It also comes with film study. So when you're able to watch opponents on film and see what they're trying to do, it helps.
What did you take away from the national championship coaches' message?
It was awesome to be able to hear from them. They just gave us a great message about the team. It's all about the team, and we have to stick together, and we have to love each other, and we got to compete for each other. Through adversity, we all got to stick together and we got to work our butts off and go get it.
How much tougher is the team now than it was in the spring or January?
I definitely think we've grown as a team and toughness going through winter workouts and then going through the gantlet and then spring practice and then fall camp, summer as well. I think our toughness has definitely grown a lot and definitely gotten stronger as well.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Aaron Philo reacts to winning Florida's starting quarterback job
