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Steve Spurrier addresses calls for Florida to give Tramell Jones a shot at quarterback

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax13 hours agoBarkleyTruax
Tramell-Jones-Jr-Florida-Gators
Florida Gators quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. (17) warms up during fall football practice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, August 2, 2025. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]

Florida dropped to 3-5 on the season after losing to Georgia 24-20 during the Gators’ first game back after firing former head coach Billy Napier. QB DJ Lagway finished the game with 166 passing yard and a touchdown in the losing effort.

Amid the Gators’ losing season, some have called for backup Tramell Jones to get an opportunity to prove himself. That has gotten back to former head coach Steve Spurrier, who has been asked before about whether he thinks Florida will make a change under center anytime soon.

“I said, ‘I don’t know.’ You have to ask coaches that,” Spurrier said on Another Dooley Noted Podcast. “All I know is, in 2000 when we won our last SEC (championship), Jesse Palmer would come in when Rex (Grossman) was going bad, and win the game for us.

“We did it at Georgia, as a matter of fact, one of those years. But playing two quarterbacks ain’t no big deal to me, but to some, most people, they’re not going to change their quarterback.”

In 2000, Grossman finished the season with 1,866 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Palmer had 1,653 and 11 touchdowns compared to four interceptions. The two totaled just over 3,500 passing yards on the season.

That’s something you don’t see all to often in modern college football. Like Spurrier said, most coaches like to stick with their QB1 and only make a chance when necessary. In Florida’s case, Spurrier isn’t suggesting to have Lagway benched altogether. It would be more of a dual-quarterback system.

Jones is a true freshman and a former four-star recruit and top-300 prospect in the 2025 Rivals Industry Rankings. The only action he’s seen this season came against Longwood in the season opener, where he completed 12-of-18 passing attempts for 131 yards and two touchdowns. He hasn’t recorded any stats since.

Meanwhile, Lagway’s season hasn’t gone how many expected it to. Through 10 weeks, he’s thrown 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His 1,679 passing yards are 13th-best in the SEC.

Currently in his first season as the main starter, the Gators haven’t turned away from their sophomore signal caller amid the team’s struggles. However, Jones will be ready to hear his name called if the decision is ever made.

Next up for Florida is a road trip to Kentucky — a team the Gators defeated last season after dropping three in a row to the Wildcats. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET live on the SEC Network.