Florida may be on the verge of turning to Tramell Jones for the first time.
With Aaron Philo working through a shoulder injury, there’s a real chance Jones gets the start Saturday against Texas. If that happens, it would be the first career start for the former four-star out of Jacksonville.
Philo has not been ruled out yet, though. He is treating this week like a game-time call, and the latest update suggests he remains in that bucket. Pete Nakos reported that Philo threw at practice Wednesday and is likely to be a game-time decision for the Longhorns.
Jones’ name is hardly new inside the Florida building. He was an FSU commit before flipping to Florida in 2024, and the evaluation on him has been pretty consistent since then. Back then, he was described this way:
“He stands tall in the pocket, never feels panicked, and keeps clean mechanics, whether he is throwing a screen or throwing 30+ yards downfield. He is capable of scrambling, though that's not a key component of his game.
What we would say holds him back from us declaring he's a bonafide top 100 player is that he tends to float his passes rather than drive through them. Also, fair or unfair, being 6'0" is a knock against trying to project him at the next level.”
That scouting report has mostly aged well. Jones beat out expectations last year by winning the backup job behind DJ Lagway, then saw action against LIU and Kentucky. Once Lagway left, the quarterback picture shifted again, and Jones ended up in a battle with Philo this offseason.
The strange part is that the old knock on Jones - the idea that he didn’t drive the ball - became part of the exact conversation this spring. Much of the QB competition came down to arm strength, and in practice clips and the spring game, Jones looked like the cleaner pure quarterback.
Sumrall essentially acknowledged as much, saying Jones had the better tools while Philo’s grasp of the offense helped him win the job.
Jones did get mop-up snaps against FAU and Campbell, but Philo handled the first four games without much controversy. That changed after the South Carolina loss, when the conversation around Florida’s quarterback play picked up again. Philo wasn’t the main issue there, but he also didn’t exactly lock the position down.
If Jones gets the nod, the hope is pretty clear: Florida wants more vertical threat and a chance to loosen up a run game that has been bottled up over the last two games. Jones has also been taking first-team reps this week, another sign that the Gators are preparing for the possibility.
For now, there’s still no official decision. But the path is there, and Jones is very much in the conversation to make the first start of his Florida career.
In Other News...
Florida Fans May See That 2024 Decommitment Wave Very Differently
Floridas 2024 recruiting cycle has taken on a different look a year later, especially when it comes to the group of prospects who backed away from their pledges. Xavier Filsaime is one of the more notable examples, with the former Gators commit now at Texas and dealing with an injury-plagued season that has kept him from making the kind of impact many expected when he was being recruited.
He is hardly alone in that regard. A review of seven top recruits from Floridas 2024 class who decommitted shows a mixed return at their new schools, with limited playing time, multiple transfers in some cases and several players still searching for a steady role. For Florida fans, the early frustration of losing those names may look a little different now, because the path away from Gainesville has not exactly produced a clean win for everyone involved. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Texas Game Suddenly Rests On One Huge QB Decision
Aaron Philos shoulder issue has turned Floridas trip to Texas into a late-week waiting game, with the Gators listing their quarterback as a gametime decision. If Philo is unable to go, Tramell Jones would be in line for his first career start, a major shift in the spotlight for a team trying to sort out its offense on short notice.
The uncertainty does not stop at quarterback. Vernell Brown III and Bailey Stockton are also listed as gametime decisions, while backup running back Duke Clark will not play, leaving Florida to piece together its depth chart as kickoff approaches. For a Gators team heading into a difficult matchup, the final availability report could end up shaping far more than just one position. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Just Proved It Can Still Take Down SEC Heavyweights
Floridas 27-24 win at Texas did more than just hand the Longhorns another loss, it reminded the SEC that the Gators still have the kind of upset punch that can change the conversation in a hurry. With backup quarterback Tramell Jones throwing two touchdown passes, Florida knocked off a No. 1-ranked team on the road and added a signature result to a season that now looks a lot more dangerous than it did a week ago.
The bigger takeaway for Florida is what the win says about its place in the league race. The Gators had not beaten two top-10 teams in the same season since 2012, and doing it in this setting gives the program a real benchmark under the lights. Texas, meanwhile, saw Arch Manning finish 14 of 20 for 173 yards and a touchdown, but the more telling number was the one attached to the Longhorns recent slide - two straight losses after opening the streak at No. 1. [Read more 🡒]