Florida has every reason to keep feeding Jadan Baugh.
The Gators running back has gone from a player Jon Sumrall made sure stayed in Gainesville to one of the hottest names on Mel Kiper's NFL Draft Big Board. Kiper slotted Baugh at No. 14 overall, making him the top running back on the list and the only back in Kiper's top 25.
That kind of attention comes with numbers, and Baugh has stacked plenty of them. He already has 673 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in six games, plus four receptions for 33 yards and another score.
His biggest burst came in SEC play, when he racked up 304 yards and six touchdowns across games against Auburn and No. 4 Ole Miss.
Florida has leaned into his power all season, and Sumrall made it clear after the Gators’ opening win over FAU that keeping Baugh was a major priority. After Baugh ran for 160 yards and three scores in that game, Sumrall said, "I tell Buster (OC Buster Faulkner) all the time, '(If) you don't know what to do, you just hand it to 13.
That'll work usually.' He's phenomenal.
He's a great kid. Every bit as good as I thought he'd be.
I told him tonight before the game, I said, 'Hey, I'm glad you're still here. Thanks for staying.'"
At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, Baugh has given Florida exactly the kind of downhill threat that translates into big production and, now, serious NFL buzz. Kiper praised the full package.
"He has it all, including really good field vision, breakaway speed and shiftiness," Kiper wrote on ESPN. "Baugh can cut back to make defenders miss, and he has the power to break tackles. He's a handful to bring down, and he almost never puts the football on the ground -- he hasn't fumbled since 2024, and that was his only career fumble across 1,000-plus offensive snaps."
The market for backs has shifted in the NIL era, and the source material makes the case that the position has gained more value in college than it often does in the NFL. But once a runner climbs into first-round territory, the payday changes fast.
Baugh sits at No. 14 on Kiper's board, right where the Ravens took offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane with the No. 14 pick in April. Ioane signed a four-year, $24.2 million fully guaranteed rookie contract. Jeremiyah Love went even higher, going No. 3 overall to the Arizona Cardinals on a four-year, $53.0 million fully guaranteed deal.
For Florida, the next step is simple: keep winning, and keep handing Baugh the ball. A strong showing against Texas this week would help everyone in Gainesville.
In Other News...
Todd Golden Calls Out NCAA Fight Hanging Over Floridas Season
Denzel Aberdeens path back into the picture has brought an old NCAA eligibility fight back to the surface, and Florida coach Todd Golden did not hide his frustration with how the issue was handled. Aberdeen was cleared to play in the 2026-27 season after the NCAAs five-year eligibility rule initially left out athletes from the high school class of 2022, even though his college route followed the usual timeline.
Golden has publicly criticized the ruling and the legal battles that followed, saying the class of 2022 was treated inconsistently. The decision now applies to the class of 2023 and beyond, which makes Aberdeen eligible under the newer interpretation, but it also leaves Florida and other programs watching how much more fallout the NCAAs rule change may still create. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Has One Real Chance To Make Texas Sweat
Florida heads into its matchup with Texas knowing the margin for error is slim, and the clearest place to find an edge may be the part of the game that too often gets overlooked. Texas remains the favorite thanks to its defense and overall talent, even if the Longhorns have had some recent struggles, while Florida is still trying to smooth out issues on offense and defense. In a game like this, the Gators need every hidden yard they can find, and special teams is the one area that can swing the tone early.
Jon Sumralls arrival has raised expectations for Florida on special teams, and that matters because Texas has not been spotless there either. If Florida can turn punts, kick returns, and field position into something closer to a matchup advantage, it gives the Gators a real way to make the Longhorns uncomfortable. The bigger challenge is obvious enough, but this is the one phase where Florida can hope to keep the game from looking like a talent mismatch. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Heads To Texas With Pressure Rising And McElroy Weighing In
Greg McElroy is leaning toward Texas in Floridas upcoming SEC trip, pointing to the Longhorns work on third downs and the Gators recent trouble getting the offense moving. It is the kind of prediction that lands with extra weight this time of year, especially with both teams carrying the usual conference pressure and the spotlight only getting brighter as the game approaches.
Florida enters the matchup needing a cleaner offensive showing, while Texas has enough in its recent play to make outsiders view the Longhorns as the steadier side. For the Gators, it is less about any one forecast than the larger picture around the program right now, because a loss in Austin would only add to the questions that have been building around the team. [Read more 🡒]