Florida running back Jadan Baugh is already forcing NFL draft chatter, and one prominent mock has him going in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft.
Through Florida’s first two games of the 2026 season, Baugh has been a problem for defenses. He has piled up 296 tards and five touchdowns on 28 carries, backing up the kind of momentum he carried out of 2025. Last season, he logged 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, and added 33 catches for 210 yards and two more scores.
The production matches the style. Baugh is a physical runner who shows patience behind his blocks before bursting through the lane, and Florida has treated him like its centerpiece on offense. That role isn’t changing anytime soon.
Todd McShay’s latest mock draft for The Ringer goes a step further, making Baugh the lone running back selected in the first round. McShay has him landing with the Denver Broncos at No. 21 overall.
That kind of fit would give Denver a potentially dangerous young backfield alongside RJ Harvey and Jonah Coleman, a group that could become one of the league’s best and help the Broncos in their push toward Super Bowl contention.
For now, Baugh’s focus stays on Florida, where he remains in the mix for both the Heisman Trophy and the Doak Walker Award. The Gators, now 2-0 under new head coach Jon Sumrall, face their toughest test yet in Week 3 against Auburn.
Florida’s turnaround has come quickly under Sumrall, who arrived after successful stops at Troy and Tulane and kept Baugh in the program. That decision has paid off immediately for an offense built around one of college football’s most productive backs.
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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
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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 🡒]
Florida Faces A Doubt Gators Fans Wont Want To Hear
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 🡒]