COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 21 NC State at Georgia Tech
Getty Images

Florida secured the most significant transfer portal pickup of the Jon Sumrall era and landed its potential starting quarterback for the 2026 season. Former Georgia Tech quarterback Aaron Philo signed with the Gators, according to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer, and will arrive in Gainesville with three years of eligibility.

Philo's signing came on the heels of a visit to Florida. He was on campus over the weekend, per 247Sports, along with one of his old Georgia Tech teammates in wide receiver Bailey Stockton. The three-star prospect and No. 15-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal moved quickly and held his visit immediately after the transfer portal opened on Jan. 2.

That Philo made up his mind in short order comes as little surprise given that his offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, Buster Faulkner, took the same job at Florida last month. Philo spent the first two years of his college football career under Faulkner's tutelage and will rejoin forces with the highly touted coordinator in the SEC, where he could thrive in a system that turned Haynes King into one of the nation's most prolific quarterbacks.

While he brings only a modest amount of playing experience with him to Florida, including only one career start, Philo is regarded as one of the most promising young backups in the nation. He was a three-star recruit out of high school but dazzled with his dual-threat playmaking ability in eight appearances over his freshman and redshirt freshman seasons.

Philo made his first career start in Week 2 this season when he filled in for an injured King. The caliber of opponent in that game may have inflated his performance, but it was a notably successful one for Philo, who torched Gardner-Webb to the tune of 373 yards on 21-of-28 passing. He posted a touchdown and an interception in the start. Most impressively, the 373 passing yards were the sixth-most in a single game in Georgia Tech history, the most since 2001 and the most ever by a Yellow Jackets freshman.

The Philo-Faulkner pairing has the potential to uplift a Florida offense that sputtered throughout most of Billy Napier's four years atop the program. The Gators ranked No. 111 nationally in scoring in 2025 and never finished higher than No. 44 with Napier calling plays. Georgia Tech, meanwhile, averaged no fewer than 28.9 points per game in any of Faulkner's three years as offensive coordinator.