The quarterback position is in a rough spot for the Florida Gators, and their decision making will be important.
The Florida Gators
have a decision to make at quarterback. During Saturday's loss
to the Georgia Bulldogs, head coach Jon Sumrall
benched Aaron Philo in the first half and replaced him with Tramell Jones Jr.
It's not a surprise that they chose to make the switch so quickly, as Philo threw one of the worst interceptions you'll ever see.
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It's a decision that I thought would have come before the game against Georgia due to the success Jones had in the massive upset victory against the Texas Longhorns. It also made the decision during the game a little bit easier because you have someone you know can play at a high level. All of that prompted Sumrall to list the quarterbacks as OR on the depth chart.
Aaron Philo handled benching well
The real concern when you make a change at quarterback is how the players will handle it. Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner thought Philo handled it very well.
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"He handled it great. Like I said, he's a pro, tough kid," said Faulkner on Tuesday.
It's another strong signal of the culture that Sumrall has built. It also helps that he set the standard for the quarterback position back in March that just because you were named the starter, doesn't mean you can't be replaced.
That extends to the game itself, something that Faulkner emphasized.
"Nobody likes getting pulled, and again, it was not necessarily, ' Hey, you're out for the rest of the game' type pulling. It was hey we've got two good quarterbacks. We like where they're at. We like the development. I believe in development, and I believe it takes time," said Faulkner.
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Development seems to be the theme of this season. We knew going into it that the team didn't have enough high-end talent to truly compete for a national championship, even though the first four weeks gave us hope that it wouldn't matter. Getting that development will be huge for 2027 when Sumrall has had time to fully put his stamp on the program.
Where does that leave the Gators? It's a state of limbo for now.
"We'll continue to evaluate everything that we do, like we have, and they'll both continue to get reps like they have, and we'll go from there."
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The answer could have ramifications for the next few years.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: 'He handled it great' - Jon Sumrall's difficult decision hasn't resulted in negativity, and it's another example of Florida going in a positive direction
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