Former Auburn Tigers receiver Eric Singleton Jr. looked good in a new shade of orange and blue on Saturday during the Florida Gators' spring football game in the "Swamp." Singleton ended the afternoon with four catches, 83 yards, and a touchdown reception. Who he connected with was the real story.
As Saturday Down South's Cory Nightingale noted, Saturday was a chance for redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. to take a step forward in UF's room to claim the QB1 role from Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets transfer Aaron Philo. By connecting with Singleton on the day's biggest highlight, he might've done just that.
"Tramell Jones knows that DJ Lagway is gone to Baylor, and he knows the 2026 season could belong to him as he tries to win the starting job for first-year Florida head coach Jon Sumrall. That pursuit by Jones officially gets going this spring, as he competes with Aaron Philo for the starting quarterback job in Gainesville. And Jones launched that pursuit with a flourish on Saturday afternoon in the Orange and Blue Spring Game at The Swamp," Nightingale wrote.
"Jones put his stamp on the spring game and the runup to the 2026 season by dropping back to pass and finding Auburn transfer Eric Singleton in the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown strike. It got the spring game action rolling on Saturday in Gainesville, and it will no doubt serve Jones well as he tries to make good on his decision to come back to Florida, knowing the starting QB job had come open with Lagway heading to Waco ... Sumrall is trying to find his first starting quarterback as Florida coach, and Jones certainly put his best foot forward right away as the competition with Philo continues."
Eric Singleton Jr. helped give Florida clarity on QB battle
Jones went 13/17 for 210 yards and two touchdowns, while Philo was 18/24 for 166 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The highlights of the game, coming with Singleton and Wake Forest Demon Deacons receiver transfer Micah Mays, couldn't have been a better outcome for Jones.
Singleton and Mays, the Gators' two heftiest investments at the receiver position in the portal, having more chemistry with Jones pushes the needle significantly in his favor as Sumrall and Buster Faulkner decide on their QB1.
We'll see if Saturday's trends continue in fall camp.