Aaron Philo has made a strong first impression as Florida’s starting quarterback. Through two games, he’s completed 32 of 42 passes (76.2%) for 517 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. He has also gained 33 yards on the ground and scored two rushing touchdowns.
Philo’s passing efficiency, a metric charted by the NCAA, is good enough for seventh in the country, while his 12.31 yards per pass attempt rank fifth.
I previously mentioned his lone interception. It was actually a dropped pass and wasn’t even recorded as a turnover-worthy play. Philo has yet to throw a single turnover-worthy pass in 2026.
Let’s take a look at where he’s having the most success.
With a clean pocket, Philo is 28 of 37 passing (75.7%) for 376 yards and three touchdowns. Excellent.
This is the really encouraging part. While he hasn’t faced much pressure due to the nature of the defenses he’s faced to this point, he’s been phenomenal under pressure. He’s four of five passing for 141 yards, two touchdowns and one interception (the one mentioned earlier). His passing grade under pressure is 91.4, according to Pro Football Focus.
On the nine pressures he’s faced this season, he’s yet to be sacked. He’s actually never been sacked in his career. That speaks to his elusiveness in the pocket and decisiveness as a runner.
Philo has attempted eight passes of 20-plus air yards this season, 19% of his pass attempts. Of those eight passes, he has five completions for 190 yards and a touchdown. His average depth of target on those passes is 32.5 yards.
The 6-foot-1, 207-pound quarterback hasn’t worked much in the medium range (10-19 yards), attempting just five passes and completing three of them for 56 yards. Florida’s offense to this point has been mostly quick passing with the deep shot mixed in.
Philo has shown the ability to operate Buster Faulkner’s offense at a high level through two games. He’s displayed poise under pressure, he’s been mostly accurate with the football, and he’s shown his ability to take off and run when needed.
“I think he’s been really, really steady,” head coach Jon Sumrall said on Monday. “He’s made a lot of good decisions. Doesn’t mean he’s played perfect, but he’s done a lot of things. If he plays like he’s played through the first part of this year, he will give us a chance to win every week, and that’s all you can ask.”
While Philo has found tons of early success, it’s come against two defenses that likely won’t threaten many offenses anytime soon, to put it nicely. And I know I don’t need to tell anyone how much Florida’s weapons can elevate a quarterback’s play.
Philo’s first real test is this weekend on the road against a stingy Auburn defense in what should be an electric atmosphere.
Florida’s staff believes Philo is up for the challenge.
“I believe in him because he’s competitive. He’s a good leader. I think you can tell his teammates like playing with him. He’s just the kind of guy that you like having on your side because he’s confident in nature, not easily rattled,” Sumrall said of Philo. “Something didn’t go his way. He shrugs it off and got a short memory, which you got to be able to have at times a quarterback. Really coachable.”
Even against what will be the worst defenses Philo faces all season, I don’t know how you don’t walk away from these first two games feeling better about Florida’s quarterback situation.
We’ll know a lot more this weekend, but so far, so good.