From Steve Spurrier to Danny Wuerffel to Tim Tebow, the quarterback position for the Florida Gators has always taken on special significance
In 2026, Florida football will enter fall camp with redshirt sophomore Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo and redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. competing for the starting job that was vacated when incumbent starter DJ Lagway transferred to Baylor.
First year Florida football coach Jon Sumrall said he hasn’t set a timeline in fall camp as to when he will name a starter.
“We’re gonna do what we have to do, try to help position Florida football to win games,” Sumrall said. “Both guys have been great. They lift from the same rack together in the weight room. They push each other, they challenge each other, they support each other. They got each other’s back. They are gonna fight for each other.”
Florida hasn’t had a quarterback earn All-SEC honors since 2020, when Kyle Trask earned second-team All-SEC honors after passing for 4,283 yards with 43 TDs to 8 interceptions.
Here are three questions for Florida football QBs heading into the 2026 fall camp:
Which Florida football QB will rise to the occasion and win the job?
Georgia Tech turned Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner’s relationship with Philo goes back to when he first recruited Philo as a 10th-grader at Prince Avenue Christian School in Bogart, Georgia. The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Philo passed for 938 yards and 2 TDs in two seasons under Faulkner with the Yellow Jackets as the backup quarterback to Haynes King.
Jones showed poise and the ability to lead the offense as a true freshman. As Lagway’s backup, Jones completed 21 of 35 passes for 191 yards and 2 TDs.
Both Jones and Philo had moments in the spring game. Jones passed for 210 yards and 2 TDs in UF’s spring game, while Philo passed for 193 yards, 2 TDs and 2 interceptions. Sumrall said the quarterback who can stack the most quality days together in fall camp will win the job.
How deep is the Florida football QB room and could that depth come into play in 2026?
Faulkner said he’s pleased with both the depth of quarterback room and the depth of the coaching in the quarterback room. Behind UF quarterbacks coach Joe Craddock, who worked with Miami quarterback Darian Mensah when he was at Tulane, Florida also has analysts Steve Spurrier Jr. and A.J. Erdely working with quarterbacks.
Redshirt junior Aidan Warner, who has appeared in six career games with one career start, enters the fall third on the depth chart at quarterback. True freshman Will Griffin, who earned Florida Gatorade HS football player of the year honors in 2025, and walk-on Aaron Williams round out the quarterback room. The 6-foot-3, 224-pound Griffin passed for 11,605 yards and 134 TDs in four seasons at Tampa Jesuit.
“Aidan Warner’s a guy that’s played a little football, and I thought the back half of spring, he really has made a … could make a run at this thing,” Faulkner said. “And then Will Griffin’s a super talented freshman that we’re really excited about.
Can Florida football QBs cut down on interceptions in 2026?
Lagway threw for 14 interceptions last season for Florida, including a five-interception game at LSU and three-interception game at Kentucky.
Faulkner wants his QBs to make good decisions while maintaining a level of aggressiveness and a short memory to shrug off mistakes. In UF’s spring game, Faulkner was impressed that Philo bounced back from two early interceptions to throw two TD passes.
“Every quarterback, I tell him, ‘Hey, you’re gonna throw picks, but we’re gonna keep throwing it,’” Faulkner said.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football position breakdown heading into fall camp, QBs
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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By Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
