A Different Post Route
Inside UF’s quarterback room, golf has become a go‑to way for players to bond. But backup Aidan Warner has taken his passion for the sport even further -- turning it into a creative outlet through his growing golf-centric Instagram feed.
Aidan Warner’s golf round doesn’t end when he finishes the 18th hole.
His camera has been rolling all afternoon, catching swings, misses, celebrations and the conversations between shots. Later, Warner sits down with hours of footage and pieces together the moments worth sharing, turning an afternoon on the course into a few minutes on a screen.
What started as a way to document his time on the golf course has become something bigger. Golf has become a shared pastime among Florida’s quarterbacks — a way to spend time together away from football and, through Warner’s camera, give fans a glimpse at the personalities behind the jerseys.
Warner posted his first Instagram reel through his @aidanwarner.golf handle on March 28. Less than a month later, after just over 20 posts, he had surpassed 1,000 followers. He tripled that over the course of the summer, surpassing 3,400 followers after posting more than 30 videos. Warner is part of a growing group of college athletes using social media in the NIL era to build audiences and opportunities beyond their sports. For Warner, that means bridging his hobby with his brand.
His videos aren't built around perfect golf. Warner's handicap sits at 6.2, and he recently took his first formal lesson at Hawkstone Country Club in Gainesville. Instead, his videos capture his rounds, shots that work and ones that don't, and the personality he brings to the course. That enjoyment comes through in one video, where the on-screen text reads, “You look happier.” Warner’s response: “Thanks, I spent all my NIL money on golf.”
A redshirt junior from Winter Park, Warner is in his third season at Florida after transferring from Yale. He has seen the field for the Gators, including a start against Texas in 2024 after DJ Lagway suffered an injury.
“Nobody’s watching me to see a PGA Tour pro swing the golf club,” he said. “They’re out there just to see our personalities and see us outside of the football world.”
Warner isn’t the only one clocking hours at Hawkstone. Away from the football facility, golf has become another way for Florida’s quarterbacks to spend time together and get to know each other.
This offseason, Florida’s dueling quarterbacks Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. took second-year wide receiver Dallas Wilson golfing after the receiver heard his teammates talking about their rounds.
“I think he kind of just heard us talking and he was like, ‘Hey! Hey! Hey! Let me come out there!’” Jones said. “And we was like, ‘Alright, let’s see what you can do.’”
Wilson quickly discovered that he had plenty to learn on the course.
“The first shot was good and then I couldn’t find the ball,” Wilson said. “It was over after that.”
Jones was less forgiving.
“He was hitting the ground, hitting the dirt,” Jones said. “He hit a couple holes and then we was like, ‘Nah, go sit in the golf cart for the rest of the day.’”
But the point wasn't whether Wilson could play.
“Getting with guys outside of the facility, outside of football, you can see who they really are,” Philo said. “And so, when we’re able to do something like that and see guys’ real personalities, it’s just so easy to bond because I feel like you’re seeing more of that person.”
In that vein, Warner saw the same opportunity in sharing his own life away from football.
He began playing golf shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraged by his grandfather, a lifelong golfer who saw the game as a way to build relationships later in life. When he arrived at Florida, he started spending more of his free time on the course.
Then a teammate suggested he bring a camera.
“I don’t remember who it was, but in the locker room, they were like, ‘Why don’t you start filming?’” Warner said. “So one day, I just brought a camera out there and filmed a little bit, and it was fun.”
Warner hadn’t planned on becoming a social media personality. He described himself as introverted and was initially nervous about putting himself out there. His biggest concern was how the account might be perceived. He worried people would think spending time on golf content meant football was no longer his priority.
Instead, his teammates embraced the idea, helping with the videos and encouraging him as the account grew. Aaron Williams, one of Warner’s closest friends in the Florida quarterback room, was among his biggest supporters. The two knew of each other in high school but became friends after arriving at Florida. Golf was another way for them to spend time together away from football.
“It’s just kind of like a nice release from football,” Willians said. But? “He would probably spend hours just editing the videos.”
Williams encouraged Warner to start the account for about a month before Warner finally decided to use some free time before spring ball to dive in. He bought the equipment he needed — a camera, microphones and editing tools — and started filming.
Warner’s videos range from “day in my life” and “what’s in my golf bag” clips to rounds that invite viewers to “come play a par 4 with a Florida quarterback.” Some are filmed on the course, while others feature the golf simulator he built in his backyard.
Part of Warner’s inspiration came from watching other golfers turn their time on the course into content. One of them was Jared Civin, a recent Florida graduate known online as “The Headband Golfer.”
Before Warner even started filming, he reached out to Civin for advice. The two talked about content ideas, strategy and consistency, with Civin helping Warner think through what his own account could look like.
Civin saw another advantage in Warner’s approach: He was a college football player making golf content, giving him access to a world most golf creators don’t have. “I think he has a really awesome and unique perspective,” Civin said.
The account has already translated his growing audience into opportunities. In April, Warner partnered with Vice Golf on a sponsored post and has since signed a contract with Takomo Golf.
“Florida has given us this platform, especially with NIL now, where I’m able to go out there and film myself doing other stuff and kind of show who I am outside of the football field,” Warner said. “I think it’s kind of going to help me set up my plans after football, which is really cool.”
Warner’s approach has caught the attention of people beyond the football program. Florida men’s golf coach J.C. Deacon noted Warner has found a natural lane in a crowded social media space by combining his access as a college athlete with his interest in golf.
“It is awesome to see the platform that Aidan has built on social media,” Deacon said. “He’s done a nice job using it the right way, sharing his personality and being authentic.”
Deacon said Warner’s golf game adds another layer of credibility to the content: “His swing is solid and very repeatable, which can help translate into consistent results.”
Yet at its core, Warner said, the page is about showing fans the parts of his life that exist beyond football, not simply about golf.
“I think, as a whole, [it shows] just that football players are more than just football players,” Warner said. “We’re also normal people.”
So when the football field goes quiet, Warner finds another place to tell his story. The camera keeps rolling. Another round becomes another video, another glimpse at the person behind the jersey. In a sports landscape where athletes increasingly control the stories told about them, Warner is doing it his own way — one golf swing at a time.
