Coming into the 2026 campaign, Aaron Philo had started just one game in eight total appearances for Georgia Tech between 2024 and 2025. Now five games into his starting job for Florida football, a clearer picture of what the play-caller is capable of has emerged.
Following college football's Week 5 results, The Athletic's staff writer Antonio Morales submitted his rankings of the top 10 first-year quarterbacks — QBs who started five games or fewer in any season — including Philo. The Gators gunslinger landed at No. 6 on the list, despite a lackluster showing in a defeat at Missouri on Saturday.
"Florida’s offense was slowed down for the first time this season when it scored just 17 points in the aforementioned loss to Missouri. The Gators had
scored at least 44 points in their first four games, including 52 in a win over Ole Miss the previous week," Morales offers.
"The Tigers strangled the Florida run game and forced Philo to beat them through the air, and he didn’t make enough plays. The Gators have a lot of talent, and Philo has operated coordinator Buster Faulker’s offense really well. He’s averaging 222.8 passing yards per game, with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. More will be required of him when Florida faces Texas and Georgia later this month."
According to Pro Football Focus, Philo ranks 68th in the nation overall with an 80.1 overall grade — perfectly acceptable for a first-year starting quarterback — plus a 75.2 grade passing and a 74.8 grade running the ball. Sure, he was already familiar with Faulkner's playbook from their shared time with the Yellow Jackets, but the schemes are not perfectly identical and playing in Gainesville is a much different experience than in Atlanta.
While Philo has done a fine job executing Faulkner's offense, there have been some deficiencies in his game so far that have held him back — most notably his downfield passing, which has been erratic and too often inaccurate, shortening the field for opposing defenses. But he has done well in his play-calling role.
Hopefully, Philo will continue to grow and mature as the season wears on. Florida will need him to be at the top of his game against the Longhorns and Bulldogs if the Gators want to keep their college football playoff hopes alive.
The Athletic's top 10 first-year quarterback rankings
- Keelon Russell, Alabama (No. 33)
- Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State (No. 32)
- Austin Simmons, Missouri (No. 26)
- Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville (No. 54)
- Kenny Minchey, Kentucky (No. 34)
- Aaron Philo, Florida (No. 55)
- Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia (No. 72)
- John Alan Richter, Toledo (No. 104)
- Nathan Hayes, North Dakota State (No. 125)
- Malachi Singleton, Appalachian State (No. 74)
Rankings listed from preseason QB Tiers
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Where Florida's Aaron Philo ranks among first-year starting quarterbacks
