Jon Sumrall gives update on QB competition, timeline for naming starter
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Florida coach Jon Sumrall met with reporters on Wednesday morning ahead of his appearance at the podium at SEC Media Days in Tampa.
Sumrall was asked about a potential timeline for naming a starting quarterback in 2026. The Gators are looking to replace DJ Lagway, who transferred to Baylor this offseason. The top candidates to start are returning back Tramell Jones and incoming Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo.
Sumrall said he doesn’t have a timeline for naming a starting quarterback and even acknowledged the possibility that both quarterbacks could see significant playing time throughout the year.
“Just because you start Game 1 doesn’t mean you start Game 12,” Sumrall said. “I don’t have a timeline. My timeline, it might be 5 minutes before the game before anybody finds out. To me, my first year as a head coach at Troy we used 2 quarterbacks the entire year. Not necessarily by design, but because we had to.
“I don’t love the quarterback shuffle deal, but I don’t have a blueprint for how this is going to go. We’re going to do what we have to do to help position Florida to win games. Both guys have been great. They lift from the same rack together in the weight room. They push each other, they challenge each other, they support each other, they’ve got each other’s back.”
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Philo may have the edge entering fall camp. He was previously the backup at Georgia Tech, where he played under new Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. However, it seems Sumrall and Faulkner are content to take the battle deep into fall camp if necessary.
UF will open the 2026 season against FAU on Sept. 5.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
