Emory Jones’ first year as Florida’s starting quarterback didn’t go as well as he’d hoped it would, and the redshirt junior could be on his way out of Gainesville after announcing his intention to enter the transfer portal. All Gators’ Zach Goodall took a stab at listing four possible destinations for Jones and UCF, Ole Miss, Auburn and Virginia Tech made the cut.
UCF would be an interesting program for Jones to land at considering he’ll be starting the Gasparilla Bowl against the Knights on Thursday. Logic would suggest that he’d fare better in the American Athletic Conference than in the Southeastern Conference, and UCF just lost quarterback Dillon Gabriel to UCLA. Gus Malzahn likes a running quarterback, so this one could happen despite how weird it would be.
Speaking of teams that utilize the quarterback run, Ole Miss and Auburn are the two in-conference destinations listed by Goodall. The idea of Jones coming in to take over the Rebels offense has disaster written all over it, but it would be another chance for him to make it in the toughest conference in the land. Jones isn’t Matt Corrall and it doesn’t appear likely that he’ll make the jump necessary to validate that comparison next season. Replacing Bo Nix at Auburn is much more realistic, but the Tigers have moved away from quarterback runs recently without Malzahn at the helm.
The final team on Goodall’s list is Virginia Tech. The Hokies lost two quarterbacks to the transfer portal and are in need of Power Five talent at the position. The new coaching staff is still being sorted out, so it remains to be seen whether or not Jones will be a good enough scheme fit to consider VT. With many of the top names in the portal gone already, Jones might be the best option remaining, though.
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