Tramell Jones may not be the favorite to win Florida’s quarterback job, but he’s doing enough in camp to make this a real conversation - or at least to keep the door cracked.
The chatter around Gainesville has long suggested Aaron Philo is the likely Week 1 starter, and Jon Sumrall’s comments only seemed to reinforce that feeling in spots. Still, the battle between Philo and Jones Jr. has not gone completely quiet. Reports from camp say Jones has flashed enough to stay in the mix, even if that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s about to overtake Philo or force Buster Faulkner into a full rethink.
Jones, though, does have the kind of passing talent that jumps out. His arm looks livelier than Philo’s, and the ball appears to come off cleaner and arrive faster. Concerns about Philo’s arm strength have been part of the conversation, and nothing from camp has erased them.
But this offense asks for more than arm talent. Faulkner’s system leans heavily on understanding the moving parts, the shifts, the motions, and the answers that change from snap to snap. Sumrall said Jones still has work to do there, even while praising the progress he’s made.
"The biggest growth that he's got to continue to make is, like, operating at the line of scrimmage with shifts, motions, those sort of things. But he's making plays.
He's very comfortable in the pocket. He's got great energy.
He's got good touch on the football. When things are right, they're right," Sumrall said.
There’s also the reality that Philo’s position in this race makes sense. He came with Faulkner to the program, and the connection is obvious.
Faulkner recruited him to Georgia Tech and made bringing him to Gainesville a priority. That kind of move usually signals more than just a camp placeholder.
Even so, Jones’s job is straightforward: keep improving enough that the coaches trust him if the offense stalls. Sumrall said Philo was clearly ahead in the spring because he knew the offense better, while Jones was still catching up. Since then, both have advanced, and Jones may have made the bigger leap simply because there was more room to climb.
"In the spring, I think Philo was way ahead because of understanding the offense and Tramell was significantly behind. I think they've both taken some steps up. Tramell's probably had more upward mobility, the room to grow because he's learning the offense," Sumrall added.
Barring a surprise, both quarterbacks should get real chances over the first two weeks. Philo is expected to start Week 3 at Auburn, but the more interesting question is what happens if the offense sputters.
If Jones is the option Sumrall and Faulkner are willing to turn to, then this battle still has life. If not, the picture gets a lot clearer.
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