Florida makes final decision on starting QB vs. Texas, per report
Published:
Florida will turn to Tramell Jones Jr. as its starting quarterback against Texas in Week 7.
Jones will be making his first career start on Saturday in place of Aaron Philo, who has been dealing with an injury this week. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Jones took the “majority” of Florida‘s first-team reps in practice this week.
Thamel also notes that Philo may be available as a backup depending on how pregame warm-ups go.
In addition to his injury, Philo’s play has fallen off in recent weeks as the Gators have lost back-to-back games. Over his last 2 games, Philo is averaging just 6.8 yards per attempt. Philo averaged 10.5 yards per attempt over Florida’s first 4 games of the season, which were all wins.
Jones was a backup for the Gators in 2026 behind DJ Lagway and stayed through Florida’s coaching transition this past offseason to compete with Philo for the starting job.
In his career, Jones is 44-of-64 for 443 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also has 13 rushes for 35 yards in his college career.
Florida is a significant underdog against Texas on Saturday, per the latest Kalshi odds:
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
