Florida Gators at No. 7 Texas: Aaron Philo Questionable, Vernell Brown III Could Return as Sumrall's Team Tries to Stop a Two-Game Skid

The Florida Gators head to Austin on Saturday trying to stop a two-game slide against a No. 7 Texas team in a funk of its own, and they may have to do it without their starting quarterback. Aaron Philo is questionable with a shoulder injury, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel, while star receiver Vernell Brown III has a real shot to return from a knee injury that has kept him out of Florida's last two games.

Kickoff at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is set for noon Eastern on ABC, according to ESPN. Florida is 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Texas is 4-1 and 1-1 in league play.

Philo's shoulder and the Jones option

Philo hurt his shoulder late in last Saturday's 38-19 home loss to South Carolina and was limited in practice this week, according to ESPN. He was listed as questionable on the SEC's initial availability report Wednesday night, ESPN reported, and the Associated Press said he remained questionable Thursday. CBS Sports first reported that his status for Texas was in question, ESPN noted.

If Philo cannot play, sophomore Tramell Jones Jr. would make his first career start. Jones replaced Philo in the fourth quarter against the Gamecocks and completed 6 of 8 passes for 40 yards with an interception, and he led one late touchdown drive, according to ESPN.

Philo, a Georgia Tech transfer in his first season as a starter, has thrown for 1,341 yards while completing 70.5% of his passes, rushed for 104 yards and accounted for 12 total touchdowns with three interceptions, according to ESPN. Against South Carolina, he went 21 of 28 for 227 yards with a touchdown and an interception before leaving, according to the ESPN box score.

Brown could be back

The better news for Florida is at receiver. Brown practiced Wednesday and was "the best he's looked" since injuring his knee, a source told ESPN, which reported that he has a "real shot" to play in Austin. Brown has 17 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns in four games this season.

Philo and Brown helped Florida to a 4-0 start and a climb to No. 8 in the AP Top 25, according to ESPN. The Gators have since dropped out of the rankings.

How Florida's season turned

The first month of Jon Sumrall's tenure looked like a breakthrough. Florida beat Florida Atlantic 66-21 and Campbell 52-3 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, won 44-39 at Auburn and then routed No. 4 Ole Miss 52-28 in Gainesville on Sept. 26, with Jadan Baugh running for 142 yards and three touchdowns, according to ESPN's box scores.

The last two weeks went the other way. Here is how the season has unfolded, according to ESPN:

At Missouri, the Tigers piled up 560 yards. Jamal Roberts ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns, and Austin Simmons threw for 340 yards, according to the ESPN box score. A week later at home, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns, and Florida turned the ball over three times while the Gamecocks committed none.

The AP reported that the cheers in the Swamp turned into some boos against South Carolina and that Florida missed more than 20 tackles in the game. The Gators rank last in the SEC in total defense, according to the AP.

"We're a work in progress," Sumrall said, according to the AP. "Sometimes our progress is dysfunctional."

Texas is wobbling, too

Three weeks ago, the AP noted, Texas was No. 1 in the country behind quarterback Arch Manning. The Longhorns opened with a 59-7 win over Texas State, edged Ohio State 24-23, beat UTSA 30-6 and won 20-17 at Tennessee, according to ESPN's results.

Then came a 27-24 loss to unranked Oklahoma in Dallas on Oct. 10. Manning completed 19 of 31 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns, but he threw two interceptions, both of them costly fourth-quarter picks, according to the ESPN box score and the AP.

Texas ranks 12th in the SEC in total offense at 379 yards per game, and coach Steve Sarkisian has drawn criticism for his play calling, the AP reported. Special teams have been a bigger problem: over the last two weeks, Texas allowed its first punt return touchdown since 2013 and its first blocked punt returned for a touchdown since 2009. Sarkisian has said he will not take special teams duties away from assistant Jeff Banks, according to the AP.

Pass protection is another concern. Manning has been sacked eight times in the last two games, and he told reporters he has taken some of those on himself. "I've been taking some unnecessary sacks," he said, according to the AP.

Last year's upset still stings in Austin

Florida beat Texas 29-21 in Gainesville on Oct. 4, 2025, according to ESPN, and the Gators sacked Manning six times that season, the AP reported. The AP said the loss played a big role in Texas missing the College Football Playoff.

Manning said this week he is looking forward to the rematch. "Obviously a new (Florida) coach and they have some new players, but it left a bad taste in my mouth," he said, according to the AP.

What it means for Florida

Despite the two losses, Texas remains in the hunt for the SEC title and a playoff berth, the AP noted. For Florida, the stakes are about keeping a promising first season under Sumrall from slipping away. A win in Austin would give the Gators a second victory over a top-10 opponent this season, while a third straight loss would drop them to 4-3 with the hardest stretch of the schedule still ahead.

After an open date on Oct. 24, Florida faces No. 1 Georgia on Oct. 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, according to ESPN's schedule, then hosts Oklahoma, visits No. 15 Kentucky, hosts Vanderbilt and closes the regular season at Florida State on Nov. 27.

What's next

The final word on Philo is expected to come with the SEC's later availability reports before Saturday's noon kickoff. If he is unable to go, the offense will belong to Jones in his first career start, in a road stadium against a ranked team coming off a loss. Whether Brown is back to give either quarterback his top receiving target may matter just as much.