Jadan Baugh has done more than give Florida a reliable answer in the backfield. He’s forced his way into the national draft conversation.
After Jon Sumrall arrived in Gainesville, keeping Baugh in orange and blue was one of the first priorities. That call looks better by the week. Baugh ripped off 160 yards and three touchdowns in Florida’s season-opening win over FAU, and Sumrall didn’t miss the chance to praise the back afterward.
"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.'"
Since then, the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Baugh has kept rolling. Through six games, he has piled up 673 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, while adding four receptions for 33 yards and another score.
His biggest burst came when SEC play opened, as he combined for 304 yards and six touchdowns against Auburn and No. 4 Ole Miss.
That production has not gone unnoticed. Mel Kiper slotted Baugh at No. 14 overall on his NFL Draft Big Board, making him the top running back on the list and the only back among Kiper’s top 25.
"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 rise makes sense when you look at the position’s value equation. NIL has changed the college landscape, and running backs may be the group that has benefited most.
In the NFL, the position is treated as non-premium, but in college the appreciation - and the money - can be very different. A player like Kaelon Black, the third running back selected in the NFL Draft, is making roughly $1.6 million per year with the 49ers, a number that is similar to what a top college back can command.
Still, a first-round selection changes everything. Baugh’s No. 14 placement on Kiper’s board lines up with the kind of draft slot that can create major guaranteed money.
The Ravens took offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane at No. 14 in April, and he signed a four-year, $24.2 million fully guaranteed rookie deal. Go even higher, and the jump gets even steeper: Jeremiyah Love went No. 3 overall to the Arizona Cardinals and landed a four-year, $53.0 million fully guaranteed contract.
For Florida, the ideal outcome is simple. If Baugh plays his way into the top 15 by April, the Gators will be thrilled. For now, though, the focus is on winning, and another big outing against the Texas Longhorns would help everyone in Gainesville.
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