The first Orange and Blue Game of the Jon Sumrall era was a successful one, as the Gator Nation got its first glimpse at Florida football in action at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday.
Among those who got some much-needed playing time was rising redshirt sophomore quarterback Aaron Philo, a transfer from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets this offseason. He was 21-for-28 passing for 193 yards, along with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions, helping the offense enter halftime with a 32-25 lead after starting down 8-0.
Following the game, Philo spoke to the media about his experience as well as other topics relevant to the afternoon’s action. Take a look below at what he had to offer.
Buster was talking about how you bounced back from the interceptions; how do you feel you were able to perform overall?
“Yeah, I mean, things are going to go bad in games. Everything’s not going to go the way that you want it to go. So you have to be resilient. You have to be able to bounce back when things goes bad, and I think that’s a great trait of a quarterback.”
Would you consider yourself a risk-taker? Is that the kind of game you like to play?
“I wouldn’t call myself a risk-taker. I believe I can make a lot of the throws on the field, which sometimes probably gets me in a little trouble. I need to be better about checking the ball down when it’s not there.”
How much did the threat of Vernell Brown III lift you? And the other one to Micah Mays Jr. right before the end of the half?
“Yeah, it was good. It was good, you know, gave me some confidence going into the rest of the half, and it was just it was a good feeling.”
How’d you see the two interceptions unfold?
“Yeah, you know, DJ (Coleman), he’s sitting over there, but he made a great play on it, but I got to have a better throw. I got to get it over him. When he’s low like that, I got to know that I got to get it over him, and then I got to throw a better ball to VB. It was behind him
“And when balls are behind people and high, they get tipped and tipped tip throws like that lead to interceptions, so I got to be better on my part.”
What are your thoughts on the offensive line and how that group has progressed this spring?
“I think they’ve had tremendous progression throughout the whole spring, just understanding, pass pro in the run game and really just getting smarter, and they’re really eager to learn. So I think they’ve done a really good job.
What do you want to work on this offseason going into summer and fall?
“I would just say not just forcing throws. I feel it’s something that I need to be better about and just checking the ball down when it’s not there.”
Talk a little bit about the wide receiver room and the talent you guys have
“Yeah, they’re all tremendously fast, but the thing that I think separates them is they all really understand the game. They understand you know, what we’re trying to accomplish each and every play. They understand space, they understand scheme, and I think that’s what really separates them.”
Almost 50,000 people in the Swamp today, talk a little bit about the environment
“Yeah, it was awesome. I think it was really cool to see that many people come out to a spring game, and I’m really really enjoyed it, first time being in the swamp with a bunch of people like that.”
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Aaron Philo talks after Florida football’s 2026 Orange and Blue Game
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
