With Aaron Philo as quarterback, Florida started the season 4-0 including wins at Auburn and at home against then No. 4 Ole Miss to send the Gators into the top 10 for the first time in five years.
Philo, who starred at Prince Avenue Christian in Bogart, was thriving after following offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner from Georgia Tech where Philo backed up Haynes King.
Then came blowout losses to Missouri and South Carolina.
Philo sustained a shoulder injury against the Gamecocks so sophomore Tramel Jones Jr. replaced him at Texas.
Florida rallied from down 17-3 to pull out a 27-24 win over the No. 6 Longhorns on Oct. 17 in the Gators’ last game.
After an off week from games, No. 20 Florida could stick with Jones or go back to Philo if he’s ready to go for Saturday’s top 20 showdown against rival and No. 3 Georgia football in Atlanta.
Both practiced last week and on Monday morning Oct. 26, Sumrall said, even though Jones got banged up against Texas.
Sumrall did not name a starter Monday and probably won't this week.
“I would say how they go through the week matters,” Sumrall said. “We’ll make a decision middleish of the week. ...There's not going to be a big QB1 announcement for this game or any game.”
Sumrall indicated he would likely only play both if the starter isn’t playing well.
"They're both very talented,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "One beat Ole Miss handedly and one beat Texas on the road. I mean, they're both completely capable, good players. I've known about both of them for a long time. In terms of their ability, they're both plenty capable, especially in Buster's offense."
Sumrall said the offense doesn't have to drastically change depending on the quarterback.
Philo, who set a Georgia high school passing record with 13,922 yards from 2020-2023, did not play against Georgia in his two seasons at Georgia Tech.
He grew up a Yellow Jacket fan.
Philo was asked in March at a press conference in Gainesville, how much do you hate Georgia?
“A lot,” he said nodding his head.
How much do you want to beat them?
“Real bad,” he said.
In his first career start, Jones, a Jacksonville native, completed 22 of 35 passes for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing for 41 yards on 10 carries.
Philo, a junior is eighth in the SEC in passing yards per game at 223.5 while completing 70.5% of his passes with 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
"It's quarterback driven, but it doesn't require the quarterback to be perfect," Smart said of Faulkner's Florida offense. "He gives them so many options and he can play to the strengths of each guy."
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Aaron Philo or Tramell Jones Jr. at QB for Florida? What Georgia's Kirby Smart said