Florida’s 2026 preseason recognition came with a familiar theme: the Gators’ biggest names are clustered on offense, with one young defender also earning his place on the league’s radar.
Running back Jadan Baugh, receiver Vernell Brown III and outside linebacker Jayden Woods were all named Preseason All-SEC on Friday. Baugh landed on the second team at running back and the third team as an all-purpose player, Brown III made the second team as a return specialist, and Woods was voted to the third team as a defensive lineman.
Baugh’s spot on the list comes after a breakout 2025 season in which he became Florida’s first single-season 1,000-yard rusher since 2015. He finished with 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns, giving the Gators a centerpiece in the backfield heading into 2026.
At SEC Media Day on Wednesday, head coach Jon Sumrall made clear how Florida plans to use him.
"I mean, we want to get our best players the football, and he’s one of them," Sumrall said. "We’ve got to be good around him, but, you know, there’s a lot of areas where Jadan’s already a proven player. There’s areas where I think we can help him continue to grow and improve, and maybe create more explosive plays for himself, but he’s physical, he’s strong, he’s faster than you give him credit for.
"He’s hit great numbers on the GPS this summer. I’m fired up to watch him play in this system, because I think you get a guy like that maybe in some one-on-one space tackles, it’s like okay he can run through you, around you, a lot of different ways to make a play.”
Brown III earned his preseason nod after a freshman season that put him in the Florida record book. He led the Gators with 40 catches for 512 yards, becoming the first true freshman in program history to lead the team in both categories.
He also handled return duties, piling up 261 yards on 18 total kick and punt returns. That production included five 20-plus-yard returns, a mark matched by only one other freshman and 18 total players in the FBS.
Brown III said his focus is on the work, not the numbers.
“I just want to go out there and be the best player I can be every game," Brown III said of his goals going into the season. Like I say, the results, the stats and all that is a byproduct of the work.
So just going in and putting in the work and winning each day. That way, when opportunities present itself, I'm prepared.”
Woods gives Florida its lone defensive representative on the preseason teams. As a true freshman, he led the Gators with 3.5 sacks and finished third on the team with five tackles for loss. He also logged 28 tackles, one interception, one pass deflection, two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery in 2025.
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Jon Sumrall made plenty of noise at SEC Football Media Days, and not just because of the usual summer talking points. The Florida coach came across as energetic and firm, even drawing attention for the way he handled a phone disruption during his session. More broadly, he used the platform to project the kind of edge and accountability he wants attached to the program, the sort of tone that can matter as much as any depth-chart battle in July.
He also stood apart from some of the grumbling around the league about the SECs new nine-game conference schedule. While other coaches focused on the strain and the postseason implications, Sumrall signaled a different posture, one built around accepting the challenge rather than looking for an escape hatch. It fit the image he was trying to sell in Atlanta, and it left the clearest question hanging: whether that no-excuses identity will become Floridas actual calling card once the games start. [Read more 🡒]
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Baugh Brown III And Woods Put Floridas Young Core On Notice
Floridas young core is already drawing SEC attention before the season even starts, with Jadan Baugh, Vernell Brown III and Jayden Woods all landing on preseason All-SEC teams as voted on by media members at SEC Media Days. Baugh was recognized on the second team at running back and also made the third team as an all-purpose player, while Brown earned third-team honors as a return specialist and Woods was tabbed for the third team on the defensive line.
For a program trying to build around rising talent, the trios inclusion says plenty about how quickly Floridas next wave has moved from promising to proven. Baughs breakout as a runner has given the Gators a centerpiece in the backfield, Brown has already shown he can matter in the passing game and on special teams, and Woods made an immediate impact as a freshman off the edge. The bigger question now is how much more each of them can take on when the spotlight gets brighter and the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]