Florida football will have a different name starting under center.
Tramell Jones Jr. will make the first start of his career against No. 6 Texas on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The sophomore has seen limited action in five games this season as he has competed 23 of 29 passes and thrown for two touchdowns, two interceptions and 252 yards.
“Definitely understand, definitely disappointed, but like after the decision I had two choices to make,” said Jones after not being named the starter earlier in the year. “I could either lay my head down, shy away from the opportunity; my teammates would see me down, that’s not the kind of energy you want to hold. Or option two, I can keep competing. I can keep working. I can keep getting better. I can keep developing in the offense, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Tramell Jones Jr. battled for the starting job this season
Despite having a new head coach, Jones was in the running to earn the starting job this season.
However, was beaten out by Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo, who missed the matchup against the Longhorns with a shoulder injury.
Jones Florida's No. 2 quarterback for the 2025 season as a freshman. In two games, he had passed for two touchdowns and 191 yards behind DJ Lagway.
Tramell Jones Jr. was injured during his senior season of high school
The Mandarin High School product threw for 3,195 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions to lead his team to the Class 4M state championship in 2023.
The final two games of Jones’ high school career featured him completing 19-of-21 passes for 439 yards and five scores.
In his career, the Jacksonville native recorded 75 touchdowns and 7,197 passing yards and only 21 interceptions with a completion rate of 59.3%.
Tramell Jones Jr. flipped from one of Florida football's rivals
Jones, who was a four-star recruit, was initially a long time Florida State commit, but flipped after UF’s win over LSU last season. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound quarterback was the longest tenured member of Florida State Class of 2025.
Jones was ranked No. 21 among quarterbacks in the 2025 cycle by both On3 and 247sports.
Jones was also an Elite 11 finalist, which is a nationally recognized camp and competition for some of the high school quarterbacks in the country.
Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at AAbadie@usatodayco.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Who is starting at QB for Florida football against Texas?