Jon Sumrall hasn’t even run his first practice in Gainesville, and already he’s walking into a quarterback controversy that feels more like a message board meltdown than a real crisis. While Sumrall’s still locked in on Tulane’s playoff push, the Florida program he’s about to take over is caught in a full-blown frenzy over quarterback money-specifically, the kind of money people think is being offered to Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo.
Let’s break this down.
Philo’s name hit the headlines with a reported $3 million NIL figure attached to it-and Gators fans didn’t exactly take it in stride. The reaction?
Outrage. Confusion.
A lot of yelling into the void about a quarterback who threw just 28 passes all season.
But here’s the thing: that $3 million number? It’s not what it seems.
As Brandon Olsen pointed out on the Locked On Gators podcast, people are losing their minds over a figure that doesn’t have any verified structure behind it. It’s not $3 million per year.
It’s likely not even close to that. In reality, it could be a deal spread over two years, with a lower base and performance escalators built in-standard stuff in today’s NIL landscape.
Think about it like this: maybe Philo gets a million as a backup, then bumps to $1.5 million if he wins the job, with incentives that could push it higher. That’s not uncommon in the current college football economy. But without those details, the public sees a big number and assumes the worst.
And yes, Philo’s résumé is light. His only real game action came against Gardner-Webb, where he completed 21 of 28 passes for 373 yards.
Not bad, but not exactly the kind of stat line that screams “future SEC star.” Still, it’s not just about what he’s done-it’s about who believes in him.
That’s where Buster Faulkner comes in. Florida’s new offensive coordinator worked with Philo at Georgia Tech and clearly sees something worth bringing to Gainesville.
That connection matters. If Faulkner’s willing to stake part of his offensive rebuild on a guy he already knows, that carries more weight than a single-game stat sheet.
But let’s be clear-Florida isn’t putting all their eggs in Philo’s basket. Colton Joseph, the dual-threat quarterback out of Old Dominion, is also in the mix.
And his numbers this season were eye-popping: over 2,600 passing yards, 21 touchdowns through the air, and another 1,000+ yards and 13 scores on the ground. That’s the kind of production that gets attention-Florida State has already reached out, and 247 Sports has him ranked as the No. 6 quarterback in the transfer portal.
Joseph’s mobility fits perfectly with Faulkner’s offensive philosophy. At Georgia Tech, Faulkner let Haynes King run wild-more than 600 carries and 36 rushing touchdowns across three seasons.
Joseph brings that same dual-threat capability. He’s not just a Plan B-he might be the better fit overall.
As for DJ Lagway, the five-star freshman who had been seen as Florida’s quarterback of the future? According to CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer, Lagway wanted to stay.
But Sumrall made the call to reset the quarterback room. It’s a bold move, but not a surprising one.
Lagway battled injuries and threw 14 interceptions this year. That’s a tough sell for a new coach trying to build from the ground up.
Sumrall inherits a 22-23 program that’s been spinning its wheels under Billy Napier. The Gators need a quarterback-fast.
The transfer portal officially reopens on January 2, and Florida is clearly working the phones. Whether Philo’s deal is $3 million, half that, or something else entirely doesn’t change the reality: Florida is desperate for answers under center, and Sumrall can’t even publicly address it yet because he’s still coaching Tulane through a playoff run.
So for now, the speculation will swirl. The numbers will keep flying.
And fans will keep reacting to headlines without reading the fine print. But once Sumrall gets to Gainesville and the portal doors swing open, we’ll find out just how much of this quarterback chaos was noise-and how much was part of a bigger plan to rebuild Florida football from the ground up.