This is the second in a five-part series on the quarterback position at the state’s major universities. Today, Florida.
A lot of people around Florida’s football program are trying to downplay it, trying to tell you it doesn’t matter who the quarterback is, that Florida’s success or failure this fall depends on how well the players adapt to the new offense.
The quarterback, of course, will be a big part of that, but he won’t have to carry the team. You say things like that when you don’t have a quarterback who can carry the team or, at the very least, you aren’t sure if you have one.
And when it comes to the quarterback position, new Gator Coach Jon Sumrall isn’t really sure just what he does have. But he is optimistic. ” I like our quarterback room,” Sumrall declared recently at an impromptu press conference covered by several different new outlets.
“Is there a proven starter in that room? No. Are there guys I think can help us win football games here? Yeah. Now, we’ve got a lot of work to do to figure out what that looks like and who’s the starter and all that stuff.
“We’re a long way from making that decision. The players will make it for us,” Sumrall said. “The quarterback competition, the players decide, not me, by how they practice and how they play.”
Going into spring practice, all eyes are focused on Aaron Philo, who transferred in from Georgia Tech after his offensive coordinator there, Buster Faulkner, was hired by Sumrall to run Florida’s offense.
Some other key Tech players came along with Philo including wide receiver Bailey Stockton, center Harrison Moore and tight end Luke Harpring. All may start for the Gators, giving Florida a decidedly Tech flavor on offense.
Although he didn’t get a lot of attention when he came out of high school in Georgia, Philo has turned some heads during his two-year stint at Tech as Haynes King’s backup. In fact many regarded him as the best quarterback prospect in the portal excluding players who were starters.
In high school, Philo put up some impressive numbers. He threw for 13,922 yards during his career, breaking Trevor Lawrence’s state record, and had 56 touchdown passes his senior season, tying another state mark.
But what really sets Philo apart, separates him from the rest, is the way he played his freshman season at Tech in the game against Wake Forest. Despite the picture Florida is trying to paint about not needing a game-breaking quarterback to make the offense work, college football has changed.
You can’t win championships, either in the SEC or on a national level, without a quarterback who can carry the team when necessary. A guy who comes up big in the big moment. And despite the fact he is still learning the position, Philo has already done that.
With Tech trailing, 29-23, with 1:30 left in the game, Philo led a 75-yard game-winning drive, racing 18 yards to score the winning touchdown with 22 seconds to play and personally accounting for every yard, going 4-for-4 for 33 yards and running three times for 42 more in the 30-29 win.
“Buster (Faulkner) has extreme confidence in him,” Sumrall said according to Carter’s Corner on the Florida football website. “As I did my homework, I think the place he was at (Georgia Tech), they didn’t want him to leave. There’s a lot of people there who felt like he was ready to be the starter there.
“I watched him in high school. He carries himself the right way and I go back to past experiences,” Sumrall said. “We started Darian Mensah my first year at Tulane and he had never taken a collegiate snap.
“I get it, it’s the American Conference and not the SEC, right? So they’re a little bit different. But man, if you’ve got the right guy, sometimes I think experience can be oversold. There’s a lot of guys who are experienced who are not very good,” Sumrall remarked.
“I believe in what he (Philo) is about because Buster feels comfortable with him and has confidence in what he’s going to be,” Sumrall concluded.
What he’s probably going to be in Florida’s starting quarterback, a big step up from being behind King at Tech. If he plays like he did against Wake Forest, though, it’s a step he’s ready to make. And if he makes it, Florida might just take a big step up as well.
Next: FSU.