GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback Emory Jones plans to transfer just days after he opened spring practice with the Gators vowing his commitment to first-year coach Billy Napier’s program.
Jones is on track to graduate this spring with a degree in telecommunications, but did not indicate he then planned to leave for another school even when pressed on his future plans.
“I’m here. I’m committed. I’m here,” Jones said. “I’ve been working my butt off since the offseason. Trying to get closer to a lot of guys around here and for this team.”
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Jones told coaches he planned to enter the transfer portal Friday. Thamel reported last December Jones planned to transfer following the Gasparilla Bowl, where the 21-year-old quarterback ended a trying season with a whimper.
Jones’ 37.2 quarterback rating was a season low during a 2021 campaign that did not go according to plan. The 21-year-old from Georgia entered the season after serving two seasons as Kyle Trask’s backup and spending three seasons learning coach Dan Mullen’s system.
But Jones struggled from the outset, throwing two interceptions each during one-sided wins against FAU and USF.
Jones ended the 12-game regular season with an SEC-leading 13 interceptions. Yet, he also set the school-record with 550 yards of total offense Nov. 13 against Samford, an FCS school, during a 70-52 Florida win.
Jones spent much of the season facing fan backlash while Mullen benched him multiple times despite a longstanding relationship dating to Jones’ sophomore season in high school.
Jones said he planned to transfer until speaking with Napier, who convinced him to stay.
“Coach Napier and Coach (Ryan) O’Hara sat me down, a lot of the offensive guys sat me down and basically said they went through my film and said they really were excited about things that I have done,” Jones said. “They think they can make me a way better player than I have shown. Basically I just wanted to give them a chance.”
The experiment lasted two spring practices.
Jones never met expectations during his time in Gainesville.
He arrived in January 2018 an Under Armour All-American and the centerpiece of Mullen’s first recruiting class. Many expected him to push Feleipe Franks that spring as a 17-year-old for the starting job.
Instead, Jones took a backseat to Franks, and then Trask when Franks suffered a season-ending injury at Kentucky during Week 3 of the 2019. Trask went on to become a star, a school record-setter and a 2020 Heisman finalist.
Jones finally got his chance in 2021.
Following a shaky start to the season, he seemed to settle down and nearly led Florida to an upset against Alabama, eventual 31-29 winners Sept. 18 in the Swamp. A week later, Jones was 21 of 27 passing for 209 yards and rushed for 144 during a 38-14 rout of Tennessee.
But Jones struggled with consistency and eventually lost his job to Richardson. Richardson, a redshirt sophomore and front runner for the starting job in 2022, injured his hamstring Sept. 11 against USF and did not return until an Oct. 9 visit from Vanderbilt.
Once he did, Jones’ days as surefire starter were over.
Following a pick-six Oct. 16 at LSU, Mullen replaced Jones with Richardson, who led the Gators to touchdown on four straight possessions during a 49-42 loss.
Mullen awarded Richardson his first career start Oct. 30 against Georgia. But the 19-year-old committed three turnovers leading to 21 points during a 34-7 loss before he left with a concussion.
Mullen swapped quarterbacks against Florida State, a 24-21 win for the Gators. Richardson then opted for offseason knee surgery with an eye on returning for spring practices.
In two limited viewing sessions Tuesday and Thursday, Jones’ continuing accuracy issues were evident while Richardson has been on point with his throws.
Richardson and Jones maintained a strong relationship despite their competition.
“It’s good because that’s my boy,” Richardson said. “It’s always great energy when he’s here. So I’m glad he’s still sticking around.”
