The 2026 Orange and Blue Game finished in a 45-45 tie in a matchup that pitted the offense vs defense with a unique scoring method for the intrasquad exhibition.
While the final score and the stats do not matter, what does is how well the players performed in the first game played in front of the fans in the Jon Sumrall era. Among those who put up a stellar effort was quarterback Tramell Jones Jr., who finished with a squad-high 210 yards on 13-for-17 passing and a pair of touchdowns — good enough for a 219.1 passer rating.
Following the game, the redshirt freshman signal-caller shared his thoughts with the press. Take a look below at what Jones Jr. had to offer.
What are your thoughts on your performance? Also the receivers as well
“You start with the receivers. I think the receivers play great. The perimeter perimeter blocking was a big thing in this spring with those guys, and then me, they started slow, bounced back. I think sustaining drives was a big thing for me, being able to put guys in good situations, give athletes the ball.
“So just being able to do that, they’ve had it pretty good today.”
Was it weird at all with the new format?
“No, it wasn’t weird to me. Great players got to be able to adjust to anything. So being able to adjust to those kinds of formats and those kinds of play styles that we did today for the game, I think it was pretty easy.”
What did you see on that 75-yard touchdown to Micah Mays Jr?
“Yeah, so the play was to beat two-high (safeties), and then they ended up rolling down to one high. So I was like, oh, Micah’s one-on-one. Give him a chance. Give him a chance to make a play. Athletes make a play, gave him a chance, ran around under it, touchdown.”
Can you walk us through your touchdown to Eric Singleton Jr as well?
“Yeah, came off the play action. We had a route to grab his safety. Eric 101. Give the athlete their chance — the fastest captain on the team. So just throw it, (unintelligible).”
How big was it for you to make some plays like that in this game?
“It was really good. I mean, being able to make those big plays creates explosives. When you create explosives on offense, the wind margin goes up for sure. So being able to create two explosives, that was a great to have, for sure.”
How much does the uncertainty of the starting QB job push you to continue to work and develop?
“It pushes me to be better. I mean, being able to compete versus following all the other quarterbacks in the room, it pushes all of us to be better at the end of the day. Whoever at the end of the day gets to go out there, they’re going to compete at the highest level because we’ve been pushing each other. We’ve been put in great situations. We’ve been putting each other in difficult situations
“So being able to get that extra time and get better and really push ourselves to what we can be, I think that really elevates everyone.”
What’s it like working with a receiving corps with this kind of speed?
“Those guys, you can just throw the ball up, and they’ll run under. Our coaches and emphasize air, air, air — just put the ball up in the air. They’ll go get it, I promise you. So, being able to have an explosive receiving corps, it’s a great thing.”
Has your confidence grown as the spring progressed?
“The more reps you get, the more your confidence goes up, of course. Being able to take those reps outside of the field also to be able to be prepared for what comes in the game or what. becomes in practice, being able to take those reps, not when everyone’s around. It lets you know what you’re gonna be doing before you do it, lets you know where you want to go with the ball, if the defense gives you a certain look.
“So being able to take those reps off the field, being able to take those reps with the team, it’s definitely brought my confidence up.”
How have you seen the team as a whole respond to all of everyone being in a battle?
“I think you’ve seen it in the guantlet, how everyone came together. You know, we failed it. I think we’d beat the seventh time. Seventh or eighth time. You really got to see those guys’ jobs and come together because if everyone was not perfect then we fail every time.
“So when you see everyone end up being perfect, those guys jive together, you can really see how they take the competition. Like, they don’t really take it in a bad way. They take it as everyone’s getting better, and they want to see their brothers thrive.
“Appreciate you guys.”
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida’s Tramell Jones Jr. talks Orange and Blue Game performance
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
