JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mandarin quarterback Tramell Jones is staying in-state, committing to the Florida Gators after a weekend visit to Gainesville.
The move wasn’t at all unexpected. Jones, a four-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals, decommitted from Florida State last week. He was one of a slew of high school prospects who visited the Gators for their 27-16 win over LSU on Saturday.
If Jones’ nonbinding verbal commitment holds through until National Signing Day, he would become the first Jacksonville-area quarterback to sign with Florida since Nease’s Tim Tebow in 2006. Jones had a good shot at breaking Tebow’s high school passing records before a leg injury in Week 2 against Atlantic Coast ended his senior season.
Tebow passed for 9,940 yards and 95 TDs in three seasons at Nease (2003-05). Before the injury, Jones was 19 of 21 passing for 439 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. In his career, Jones threw 75 touchdown passes and had 7,197 passing yards.
Last June, Jones became just the sixth local player to earn the prestigious Elite 11 honor. Mandarin’s season ended last Friday with a 17-14 loss to Oakleaf in the Region 1-6A quarterfinals.
Jones had been committed to Florida State as the longest-tenured member of the Seminoles 2025 recruiting class before breaking his pledge last week. The Seminoles are 1-9 and have been one of the country’s worst teams. Head coach Mike Norvell fired offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller, and receivers coach Ron Dugans after a 52-3 loss to Notre Dame.
Meanwhile, Scott Stricklin, Florida’s athletic director, gave head coach Billy Napier a vote of confidence a couple of weeks ago, saying that Napier would return for 2025 after an uneven start to his coaching career.
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