The buzz around Florida keeps getting louder, and it’s not just because of what the Gators did to Ole Miss in The Swamp. A 52-28 win over the Rebels sent Florida surging into the national conversation, and the weekly news cycle has been packed ever since.
The biggest football takeaway is hard to miss: Florida looked every bit like a team that belongs near the top of the sport. The Gators are now No. 8 in the country, and there’s already a case to be made that they should be even higher. The only thing keeping them from that conversation, as the source material puts it, is that plenty of people expected them to be bad to start the year.
Jadan Baugh is becoming impossible to ignore in the Heisman race. Against Ole Miss, he ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns, pushing his season line to 600 yards and a nation-leading 11 rushing touchdowns. If that pace holds and he still doesn’t win the award, it would only add fuel to the argument that it’s nearly impossible for a non-quarterback to take home the Heisman these days.
Florida’s backfield didn’t stop with Baugh, either. Duke Clark added another layer to the offense with 126 rushing yards on 12 carries, highlighted by a 45-yard touchdown. A nickname making the rounds for the pair - “Juke and Duke” - fits the kind of punch the duo is giving Florida right now.
Away from the football field, Denzel Aberdeen got a major legal win. A judge granted him a temporary injunction, which clears the way for him to play in 2026-27. Aberdeen returned to Florida after spending a year at Kentucky, and he is expected to be a starter for the Gators this season.
Florida’s other programs are rolling, too. Volleyball stretched its winning streak to eight with a straight-set victory over Oklahoma, taking the match 25-21, 25-22, 25-19.
The Sooners made each set competitive, but Florida stayed composed and closed it out. A tougher stretch is waiting, with two matches this weekend against No.
11 Tennessee and No. 3 Kentucky.
Soccer also got back on track after consecutive draws, picking up its first SEC win of the season in a 5-2 win over Texas A&M. Lael Hill, Sophia Sindelar, and Katie Johnston each scored, while Kyra Taylor scored twice to reach seven goals on the season. Florida is now 5-3-3 and sits one win away from matching last year’s total.
The recruiting trail brought more good news for the future. Safety Cyion Smith and offensive tackle Samuel Bailey both committed to Florida’s class of 2028, and the Gators appear to be building momentum with that group. The expectation is that January could bring a major surge.
There was also a strong impression left on five-star Texas commit Easton Royal, who came away impressed with Florida’s offense. Whether that turns into a flip remains to be seen. On top of that, multiple recruiting analysts are predicting that Florida will land 2028 receiver Ar’Tavian “Bubba” Brown from Tallahassee.
There’s still a game to get ready for, and Florida’s initial Missouri availability report added one more wrinkle. Brown and Bailey Stockton were listed as questionable, and if both are unavailable against Missouri, the Gators may need freshman Justin Williams to handle punt return duties.
In Other News...
Why Floridas Offense Should Worry Missouri More Than Fans Realize
Floridas offense has shown it can turn ordinary field position into real trouble for an opponent, and that matters in a matchup where Missouri has leaned heavily on short fields. The Gators have already found the end zone on drives that begin around their own 35-yard line, which suggests they are capable of stacking plays, surviving long possessions and finishing those marches with points instead of settling for field goals.
Missouris offense has been productive, but much of that damage has come with favorable starting position, and its average touchdown drive is the shortest in the country. Even more telling, the Tigers have struggled to turn drives after punts or kickoffs into meaningful production against FBS opponents, while Florida has had success doing exactly that with 16 touchdowns on those kinds of possessions in its games. For a Missouri defense that may not be able to count on easy margins, the Gators ability to travel the length of the field is the part that should raise the most concern. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Kelly Just Put Florida's Fast Start On Upset Watch
Floridas early surge is drawing plenty of confidence from national observers, but it is not unanimous. As the Gators head into Saturdays 3:30 p.m. ET matchup at Missouris Faurot Field, three CBS Sports analysts backed No. 8 Florida to keep rolling, pointing to a rushing attack that has given the offense a sturdy identity and to questions about how Missouri will hold up defensively.
Brian Kelly was the outlier, though, and his pick landed with some weight because of the program context around it. The former LSU and Notre Dame head coach went against the grain and called for No. 25 Missouri to spring the upset, putting a little extra tension on a game Florida was expected to control. For a team trying to protect its ranking and keep its fast start intact, it is the sort of outside skepticism that adds a little more edge to an already interesting SEC road test. [Read more 🡒]
Florida May Be Building Recruiting Momentum Where FSU Fans Least Want It
A recruiting battle in Tallahassee is starting to tilt Floridas way, at least on paper. ArTavian Bubba Brown, the four-star wide receiver prospect who transferred to Florida State University School this year, has been predicted by recruiting analysts to land with the Gators, a development that would resonate well beyond the normal early-cycle chatter.
Brown has already made unofficial visits to Auburn and Alabama, so there is still plenty of road left in his recruitment. Even so, Floridas early work in the class of 2028 is beginning to gather attention, with three players already committed and more pledges expected to follow as the Gators try to build momentum before the process gets any louder. [Read more 🡒]