The Florida Gators are back in the AP Top 25, and the timing makes sense after what they just did to Auburn.
Florida checked in at No. 21 on Sunday following Saturday’s 44-39 win over the Tigers, giving the program its first ranking since it was No. 13 going into Week Two of the 2025 season. The Gators had hovered just outside the poll for the past two weeks, even after convincing wins over FAU and Campbell, but the Auburn result finally pushed them in. Florida is one of 10 SEC teams in the Top 25.
“Alright, no bad wins. Always good to win.
We still have a lot to improve upon. That’s not our best football.
We’re going to get there," Florida head coach Jon Sumrall said.
The biggest reason Florida made the jump was the offense. The Gators rolled up 495 total yards, finished 5-for-5 in the red zone, converted all three of their fourth-down tries and only punted once. Sumrall said the matchup looked like one his team could control.
“I knew we were going to do what we did on offense tonight," Sumrall said. "...offensively, I knew we were going to run the ball on them; I knew we were going to throw the ball on them. They’re good up there, but I felt like we were better."
Jadan Baugh was the engine. The star running back piled up 26 carries for 162 yards and three touchdowns, including scoring runs of 53 and 33 yards. With that performance, he became the first Gators running back since Fred Taylor to post four straight 100-yard games.
"Honestly, that's what I saw: daylight," Baugh said about his 53-yard touchdown. "That was about it.
I feel like my line, my o-line, they came out. They had a mentality that we were going to seal the game.
And that's what we wanted to do."
Aaron Philo also delivered a strong SEC debut for Florida. In his first road start with the Gators, the former Georgia Tech quarterback completed 15 of 22 passes for 204 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Sumrall said he liked how Philo handled the moment.
"I thought he handled it really well, you know," Sumrall said. "I got a lot of confidence, and our team has a lot of confidence in him."
Florida’s sophomore wideouts Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson added more pop to the passing game. Brown III led the team with five catches for 86 yards, while Wilson had four receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown.
The defense did its part too, especially up front. Florida finished with seven sacks and eight tackles for loss, and Auburn’s ground game never really got loose. The Tigers ran for 102 yards on 31 carries, a 3.3-yard average.
Jayden Woods and Emmanuel Oyebadejo led the way with 2.5 sacks apiece. DK Kalu and Jaden Robinson each added a sack.
Florida now turns to a much bigger test: No. 4 Ole Miss comes to the Swamp on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
In Other News...
Jon Sumrall Just Added More Heat To Floridas Auburn Debate
After Floridas win over Auburn, Jon Sumrall found himself answering questions that reached well beyond the scoreboard. The Florida head coach was asked about the rumors that he had interviewed for Auburns head coaching job in November, and he flatly denied it, pushing back on the idea that there was ever a real meeting of the minds between him and his former SEC foe.
Sumralls blunt response only added another layer to the discussion around Auburns opening, especially with the programs reported insistence on keeping defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin in place. From Floridas side, it was another reminder that coaching searches can get tangled fast, and even a postgame answer can reopen old speculation that the Gators would rather leave in the past. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Just Found The Formula That Could Change This Season
Florida walked out of Jordan-Hare Stadium with a 44-39 win over Auburn and a reminder that this season may already be taking on a different feel. The Gators are 3-0 for the first time since 2019, and they finally snapped their SEC road drought with a performance that leaned on timely offense and a defense that kept hunting all afternoon.
Jadan Baugh powered the day with 162 yards and three touchdowns, including a 53-yard burst on fourth-and-one that turned into one of the games defining plays. Floridas defense added seven sacks, and when a team can run the ball, finish drives and pressure the quarterback like that, it starts to look less like a hot start and more like a template worth paying attention to. [Read more 🡒]
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Florida heads into Week 3 with plenty of intrigue, but The Athletics Manny Navarro is betting the trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium ends badly for the Gators. Navarro picked Auburn to edge Florida 28-27, pointing to a matchup that could hinge on whether Jadan Baugh can crack a run defense that has been stout so far this season. For Florida, that means the ground game may have to do real work if the Gators want to keep the pressure off their offense and avoid playing from behind.
The quarterback side of the matchup also looms large, with Aaron Philo and Auburns Byrum Brown factoring into a game Navarro expects to stay tight into the final moments. His prediction has Brown guiding a late go-ahead drive, which is exactly the kind of ending Florida fans would rather not imagine before kickoff. For a team trying to build momentum early in the season, the margin for error in this one looks razor thin. [Read more 🡒]