We continue our countdown to kick-off with our series detailing one biggest concern for every SEC team heading into 2026. Today, we head to Gainesville to talk about the biggest concern for the Florida Gators this season.
The Quarterback Situation
Like many in the league, Florida will be breaking in a new quarterback this year. An offseason ago, DJ Lagway was billed as the program savior, and 11 months later he’s in Waco after watching the previous UF staff go down in flames.
Florida hasn’t yet settled on a starter. Either Tramell Jones Jr or Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo will be the signal caller but neither took the reins in the spring. That alone is something of a concern.
There’s so much hype and hope around Buster Faulkner’s arrival to Gainesville to run the offense. That was a massive get for Jon Sumrall in year one. The right coordinator hires can go a very long way.
Think about the 2019 LSU team that had Dave Aranda and Steve Ensminger. That was an elite staff while Joe Burrow and Ed Orgeron got to enjoy most of the praise. Sumrall’s signing of Faulkner was possibly the biggest assistant coaching acquisition of the offseason. The question remains though, will either quarterback fit the system and be as successful as Haynes King at Georgia Tech?
What makes most elite coordinators elite is the ability to adapt to their personnel. King was a unicorn and had a skillset unlike most college quarterbacks. Not only was he a skilled runner and passer, he was also one of the most physically tough players in the entire country.
King was asked to do a lot in Georgia Tech’s offense in his two years as a starter. In 2025, he had 185 carries in 13 games. That total jumped to 310 carries in 2024-2025. To put that in perspective, King’s 185 carries would’ve been the fourth most of any ball carrier in the SEC in 2025. King accounted for 66 percent of the Yellow Jackets’ offense and 29 of their 47 total touchdowns.
It’s reasonable to think that whoever becomes the starting quarterback this year at Florida won’t have to shoulder as much of a load offensively given that Jadan Baugh is one of the best running backs in the country. But, is that just the nature of the offense under Faulkner? Georgia Tech had good backs as well in Jamal Haynes and Malachi Hosley. I would have to think that Faulkner won’t ask another quarterback to take the kind of beating that King took at the position. That said, it worked.
Either way the production, talent level, and what will even be asked of the quarterback in this year’s version of Faulkner’s offense is all fascinating. It’s also the Gators biggest concern going into 2026.
