This time last year, Aaron Philo was helping his teammates prepare for a road trip to Jasper County, the final road game of Prince Avenue Christian’s season and of Philo’s standout high school career.
Saturday, it’s not beyond possibility that Philo could be on the field in front of more than 66,000 fans at Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium in a crucial ACC road game for Georgia Tech.
“The game speeds up a little bit, and I’m sure he’s aware of that having been over there for about six months. You just adjust your game,” said Greg Vandagriff, Philo’s high school coach. “It’s like going from middle school to high school; you just adjust your game as the game speeds up. I’m sure he’s done all that. He’ll be a little bit wide-eyed (if he plays) because he’s out there versus watching it. But I think the learning curve will take care of itself, and he’ll do fine.”
Philo is Tech’s third-string quarterback this week. But starter Haynes King, who missed last Saturday’s loss to Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, could be out again, with Zach Pyron likely starting in King’s place for the second consecutive week. That would mean Philo would go into the game as the backup.
If for any reason King and Pyron were not available, before or at any point during the game, it would be up to Philo to take the field for the Yellow Jackets (5-3, 3-2 in the ACC).
“Like all freshmen, he’s a freshman. It was a luxury to be here in the springtime, so he’s a little bit ahead of some of the guys,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. “But he’s a great kid. Awesome. Loves playing football. Guys rally around him, guys raise up around him. He’s going to be a good player. Really is. Happy with the way he’s developed.”
Philo (6 feet 2, 215 pounds) had a storybook career at Prince Avenue Christian, starting 31 games and throwing for a state-record 13,902 yards. That total was more than Georgia high school notables Trevor Lawrence, Gunner Stockton, Deshaun Watson or Jake Fromm recorded. Philo’s 159 career touchdown passes are third-most in Georgia history.
He was a 2023 AJC Super 11 selection and won back-to-back state championships as a starting quarterback. He was named Mr. Georgia by the Atlanta Touchdown Club. He also had more than 1,200 rushing yards in his career and scored 32 times on the ground.
Philo, who at one time was committed to Minnesota, was a three-star prospect, per the 247Sports Composite. UCF, Cincinnati and Indiana were the only other Power Four programs to offer him a scholarship.
“He’s just not flashy,” Vandagriff reasoned as to why maybe Philo wasn’t higher on recruiting lists. “But all he does is win, and all he does is produce. And at the end of the day, as a coach, that’s all you want.”
Philo told the AJC in December that “I feel like I’m definitely overlooked a lot of the times. I play with a chip on my shoulder to prove I’m the best.”
Philo already has made his college debut, which came Sept. 7 at Bobby Dodd Stadium when he took the field with 6:34 left in a 59-7 rout of VMI. He was on the field for 10 plays, the first of which was a 1-yard completion to wide receiver Abdul Janneh. His ninth snap was a 41-yard strike to wide receiver Chris Elko, a redshirt freshman from Roswell High. Philo finished 3-of-5 passing for 49 yards and hasn’t played since.
But that doesn’t mean he’s not staying ready, especially this week maybe more so than others.
“He’s awesome. That’s my guy,” said Tech wide receiver Bailey Stockton, a high school teammate of Philo’s. “We talk every day about stuff. He’s being patient, he’s learning under two great quarterbacks in Zach Pyron and Haynes King. He’s doing good.
“I just think he’s a ballplayer. He knows what to do, makes the right reads. He’s just real confident.”
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