Florida enters its Week 8 bye week with a 5-2 (3-2 SEC) record. With the Gators off this week, Gator Country gave subscribers the opportunity to ask questions about Florida football.
Here’s part one of our Q&A.
tmanjax: If you had to bet your next paycheck on it, which Florida team will show up for Georgia? The Ole Miss/Texas winners or the Mizzou/USCe losers?
NM: As I said postgame, one of the biggest takeaways from the win over Texas was that Florida played with a different edge and mentality. The Gators didn’t give up like they seemingly did against Missouri and South Carolina. I think it was a big step forward for the 2026 season.
I would bet Florida plays with the right mentality the rest of the way. That doesn’t mean the Gators will win every game, though. There are still holes in Florida’s roster despite the huge wins, and Georgia can still soundly beat Florida even if both teams play well. However, I expect the Gators to have the right mentality heading into the game after proving they can come from behind against a very talented team.
rstone9: Starting QB against the Muts?
NM: If you’re asking who I think will start against Georgia, my money would be on Tramell Jones Jr. because Sumrall described Philo’s injury as a “couple week” deal. If Philo is unable to practice much during Florida’s bye week or the week leading up to the game, I don’t think it would be smart to throw him out there against Georgia.
If you’re asking which quarterback gives Florida a better chance to beat Georgia if both are 100% healthy, I think it’s really close. I’ve been torn on it, and I feel pretty much the same way I did all offseason.
Jones Jr.’s performance against Texas didn’t win him the job outright, in my opinion. But there’s something to be said for a young quarterback who doesn’t get rattled in that situation or environment. There were several things that really impressed me. He took what the Texas defense gave him for most of the second half. He didn’t press or force throws downfield despite trailing, stuck with the game plan and operated at a high-level pre-snap. He was also more dangerous with his legs than I anticipated. I knew he was faster than Philo, but his lateral quickness impressed me. For that reason, I want to see him get another opportunity because I think he has more to offer in the vertical passing game than he showed against Texas.
Philo was also the quarterback when Florida’s offense looked its best this season, putting up 44 points in a road win over Auburn and 52 against a top-10 Ole Miss team. Granted, Florida was seemingly a bit healthier across the board in those games.
I don’t have a strong feeling either way. There are solid arguments for both quarterbacks. If I had to pick right now, I’d lean toward Philo, assuming he’s healthy, which is a big if.
gatorjync: Will we be sufficiently healed up at WR and finally see VB3, Dallas, and Singleton lined up at the same time?
NM: All three should be playing against Georgia, assuming there are no setbacks in practice.
ajoseph: Are you hearing that the Team is starting to back one of the QBs over the other?
NM: I haven’t heard anything like that. I thought they rallied around both Philo and Jones Jr. in their appearances this season. It helps that the QBs clearly get along with each other.
mfafard: Halfway through the season…what positions need the most help during the offseason/transfer portal period?
NM: Offensive tackle should be the top priority in the offseason. After that, they need to acquire a number of defensive backs. Those are the two biggest needs for me, but you can never have enough defensive linemen and edge rushers.
Tebownut6: Do you think our defense started turning a corner this past week and we finally figured out a way to play our secondary so they won’t get burned every play? Or did we get lucky playing Arch? I don’t see us STOPPING Georgia’s offense, but I’m hoping we at least figured out a way to keep them honest.
NM: Yes and no. Over the last two weeks, Florida has clearly been more aggressive with its defensive play calling, blitzing at a much higher rate than it did during the first four weeks. That approach is going to give the Gators a chance in games, but it’s also riskier and leaves their defensive backs, who have struggled mightily this season, on an island.
We saw that approach fail against South Carolina when Florida couldn’t get home on the blitz. When you blitz, you have to get home, and Florida did that against Texas. It also helped that the Gators faced a struggling offense and quarterback.
It appears to me that Florida simplified things a bit on defense, using fewer stunts and focusing more on attacking the offensive line and winning with aggression.
bigemorygator: After Saturday’s performance, do you still think Philo is the better lateral runner (as stated in the game thread)?
Jones displayed a lot of twitchiness as well as straight ahead speed to get us some crucial conversions at the right time.
NM: I still think Philo is the more decisive runner, but Jones Jr. absolutely impressed me with his lateral quickness. I knew he was faster in a straight line, but he made some really sharp cuts in the game. I hadn’t seen much of that during the offseason.
Philo also has more juice than people give him credit for. He had a 24-yard run against South Carolina two weeks ago. Where Philo really thrives, though, is in the read game. He’s brilliant at reading the option, as we saw against South Carolina, when it was Florida’s only source of success on the ground. Jones is the better athlete, but I don’t think the difference is quite as significant as people make it out to be.
gator_nica: Which position coaches has impressed you the most, and which one has left to be desired?
NM: I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to judge assistant coaches after seven games in their first year with a new team. There are a ton of factors at play, and the sample size is still small. That said, I’ve been most impressed with tight ends coach Evan McKissack. I wasn’t high on that unit entering the season, and while it’s still not an elite group, it has far exceeded my expectations. I think he’s done an incredible job with the players he has.
Which coach has left the most to be desired? Based on how the units have played this season, I think you’d have to pick cornerbacks coach Brandon Harris. But again, we’re talking about a seven-game sample size with players he didn’t recruit. Sumrall warned us about the secondary all offseason, so take that criticism with a grain of salt.
Stay tuned for part two.