Aaron Philo, a redshirt freshman quarterback from Georgia Tech, has committed to the Florida Gators and signed. He is the No. 18 QB in On3’s transfer portal rankings.

Philo, a Georgia native, has been the top backup at Georgia Tech to Haynes King, who finished 10th in this year’s voting for the Heisman Trophy. In that role, he has thrown for 938 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He’s also added 95 rushing yards on 16 carries in two seasons.

At Georgia Tech, Philo, who entered the transfer portal on Jan. 2, developed a strong relationship with his offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner. Faulkner left the Yellow Jackets for the same position on Jon Sumrall’s Florida Gators staff in December.

The same month, DJ Lagway, who started 19 games over the past two seasons for the Gators, announced his intention to enter the transfer portal and he isn’t expected to return to UF.

Lagway started all 12 games for UF in 2025 and seven as a true freshman in 2024. This past season, he completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. As a true freshman, Lagway passed for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Overall, Lagway was 10-9 as a starter with the Gators.

Sumrall and Co. did not push to keep Lagway. But they heavily pursued Philo, who is thought to be an ideal fit for Faulkner’s offense.

Aaron Philo will be a top contender for the starting job in Gainesville

In Gainesville, Philo will compete with Tramell Jones, a promising true freshman last season, 2026 4-star signee Will Griffin and probably others for the starting role. As of now, Philo and Jones would have to be considered the top contenders for the job. According to On3’s Steve Wiltfong, Jones, who re-signed with the Gators on Dec. 30, “has impressed in early meetings with the new Gators staff.”

At Georgia Tech, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Philo played five games as a true freshman. In 2025, he competed in only two games and thus preserved a redshirt. In one of his appearances last season, Philo passed for 373 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception in a 59-12 win over Gardner–Webb.

Georgia Tech thought so highly of Philo the Yellow Jackets fought hard to keep him. But on Dec. 16, he announced his plans to enter the transfer portal, and now he will follow Faulkner to Gainesville to be a Gator.

At Bogart (Ga.) Prince Avenue Christian, Philo was a 3-star recruit. He set the Georgia high school record for all-time passing yards (13,922). The top spot previously was held by current Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.