Jadan Baugh returning to Florida for his junior season

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gators running back Jadan Baugh is returning to school for his junior season. He has signed a new NIL deal with Florida Victorious.

Baugh became the first Gator to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in 10 years, with Kelvin Taylor being the last UF running back to reach that milestone in 2015 (1,035 yards).

Baugh rushed for a career-high 38 attempts (fourth-most in UF history) for 266 yards – the most all-time by a Gator against FSU and second-highest total in UF history behind Emmitt Smith’s program-record 316 yards vs. New Mexico in 1989.

After leading UF in carries and rushing yards as a true freshman in 2024, Baugh started all 12 games this season and finished the year with 220 carries for 1,170 yards, eight rushing touchdowns and 33 receptions for 210 yards.

Baugh becomes the 10th running back in Florida history to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season, joining Emmitt Smith, Errict Rhett, Neal Anderson, Fred Taylor, Kelvin Taylor, Ciatrick Fason, Mike Gillislee, Earnest Graham and Jimmy DuBose.

Baugh’s 1,170 rushing yards on the season ranks seventh all-time in school history and are the most by a Gator in a season since Fason’s 1,267 yards in 2004.

In 2024, Baugh led the team in rushing yards (673), total touchdowns (8) and tied for team-best in rushing touchdowns (7). He made four starts in 13 games played.

“I think that’s big,” UF interim coach Billy Gonzales said of Baugh reaching 1,00 yards. “Jadan’s a workhorse, he’s an extremely gifted young man, talked to his size, his strength, his athleticism, his speed. He’s got great feet. I think we’ve seen him put his foot in the ground and be able to utilize a great tight spin move for extra yards. And then, again, he’s not just a strong power running back. He’s nimble, but he’s got exceptional hands.

“And I’ve talked about that over and over and about the ability to set him on one-on-one against the linebackers out in the backfield, which he had this past week. We brought him out of the backfield to the right-hand side, and we’ve been running a little bit of choice route with him, where he has the ability to break in or break out, and did an excellent job, he kind of stuttered the linebacker and then continued on the wheel. So, he’s a special football player.”

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