Tramell Jones Jr. entered Florida’s program operating at roughly 70% as he continued recovering from an ACL tear suffered during his senior season of high school. Despite limited practice time leading up to the 2025 season, Jones Jr. climbed the depth chart and earned the backup quarterback role — an impressive feat for any true freshman, especially one still working his way back to full health and with less experience than most.
Fast-forward to 2026, and Jones Jr. is in the midst of his first healthy offseason, learning his second offense in as many years while competing for Florida’s starting quarterback job.
“You got to be able to adapt, and that’s what makes somebody a great player,” Jones Jr. said. “Being able to adapt on the fly and being able to switch up anytime there’s something that different goes on. I mean, last year I came into a new offense, was able to adapt. This year, coming to a new offense, able to adapt. You just got to overcome the odds, and you keep pushing yourself.”
It was clear after spring camp that Jones Jr. had the arm strength to make every throw on the football field. The next step was getting him to process the offense faster and play with greater anticipation.
“Process the offense for sure. Just learning in the spring, sometimes I’m a hitch late or I’m a step late,” Jones Jr. said. “Knowing where to go with the football, going quickly through my reads, knowing where everyone’s at, motions, just process with the offense, getting everybody down fast, knowing where everyone’s at.”
“We have a lot of guys out there in the country that can make every play on the field,” Jones Jr. added. “But it’s about process, knowing the protection, knowing defenses, and then making plays. Like I can make any throw, but am I making it on time? Am I doing those things correctly?
It was Florida’s player-led practices over the summer that gave Jones Jr. the repetitions he needed to make that progress.
“The reps are what you need. Repetition after repetition. I mean, once you keep doing those things, then it becomes like clockwork. So now, when you get in fall camp, you can be full speed ahead,” Jones Jr. said. “Now with those summer reps and fall camp starting now, I’ve been completely way better.”
On the first day of fall camp, Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner praised Jones Jr.’s ability to get up to speed with the new offense, noting that doing so was no easy task.
“I think that’s the difference between being a good quarterback and a great quarterback,” Jones Jr. said. “Being able to sustain a lot of information at one time and not playing robotic.”
The Jacksonville, Florida, native also put in work outside of team practices and summer OTAs, taking detailed notes and spending countless hours reviewing the offense at home as he worked to master Florida’s playbook.
“I like to write a lot of things down and look back over them at night and in the morning. Like to walk through mentally at home, and then just keep going over and over again. And once I do that, I drill it into my brain,” Jones Jr. said.
“I want to play quarterback here. So this is something serious,” Jones Jr. added. “I’ve got to be able to take all of my time into this and learn a new playbook. Learning all the motions. I knew had to be somewhat ready for spring. Then taking extra time in the summer and setting those goals for myself has really helped me.”
Faulkner came to Florida as one of the most highly regarded offensive coordinators in the sport, giving Jones Jr. an opportunity to learn from one of the game’s most respected offensive minds.
“I learned to just take what the defense gives you. Spread the ball to your athletes. That’s pretty much been the word,” Jones Jr. said on what he’s learned from Faulkner. “Give the ball to your athletes. And I think that’s being a part of what a point guard is, not trying to do too much. There’s a time to be a game manager and a game changer.”