There elevated expectations for sophomore running back Jadan Baugh following his impressive debut season with the Florida Gators.
After Baugh arrived at Florida in 2024 as an early enrollee, injuries to Florida’s backfield last season to starter Montrell Johnson Jr. and second-year back Treyaun Webb paved the way for Baugh to play a significant role with the Gators as a true freshman.
Despite being relatively raw and inexperienced, Baugh showcased his enormous potential consistently in 2024, leading the Gators in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, and he’s now projected to pick up where he left off in 2025: as UF’s primary running back in a room where a by-committee approach will be taken.
Although teammates and coaches alike have expressed the belief Baugh will lead the way in Florida’s backfield in 2025, assistant coach Jabbar Juluke, Baugh’s position coach, insisted the second-year rusher out of Atlanta was still scratching the surface of his potential – Baugh was capable of making strides in the months ahead before he would command significant carries as a sophomore.
“He has a lot of work to do, alright?,” Juluke said of Baugh on March 25. “He’s a work in progress. He’s very talented. He loves football. He’s not in love with it yet, and we’re trying to get him to love the football, and his ceiling is extremely high. But he does have some work to improve on. We all do, even myself, and we’re trying to get better everyday, and I think Jadan’s heading in the right direction. I’m extremely proud of him, what he’s done in the classroom, what he’s done on the football field.
“It’s not easy to be a freshman and come play well in the SEC, and he was able to do so. It’s a sense to who he is and how much he wanted to improve, and again it goes back to having a good example. Montrell would not allow him not to be a student of the game, so he’s going to have to continue to do so, and I’m looking forward to who he can become.”
While Baugh may still have work to do on the field, as Juluke tells it, his gains within the weight room are a different story entirely.
As the Gators reported to fall camp Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s first practice session, Baugh – listed at 231 pounds, a four-pound increase from his listed weight of 227 pounds ahead of the 2024 season – was singled-out by Florida’s director of strength and conditioning, Tyler Miles, as not just arguably the strongest player on Florida’s roster – he’s perhaps the strongest player “pound for pound” in Miles’ tenure with the program.
“Jadan Baugh had an incredible summer,” Miles said of Baugh. “He broke the team records, not only for his position but pound for pound, the strongest – we have a formula, and he’s pound for pound he’s the strongest guy on the team – not only on the team but since we started tracking that, pound for pound the strongest guy that we’ve ever had.”
Florida head coach Billy Napier succinctly seconded the notion.
“Freaky numbers,” said Napier.
Having already showcased his significant potential, the notable physical improvement is simply the latest step in Baugh’s ascension to becoming a critical piece within Florida’s offense, which will take the field Wednesday with fellow sophomore, quarterback DJ Lagway, “day-to-day” with a lower-body injury.
As a result of the lofty expectations he’s set for himself, both on and off the field, the Gators will look to further push Baugh in the weeks ahead to continue to make strides, aware he’s capable of much more than he showcased a year ago as a featured weapon in UF’s backfield. There are multiple options vying for his role to ensure he remains motivated, no shortage of contenders for snaps within Juluke’s room; Ja’Kobi Jackson, in his final season at the collegiate level, is yearning for an elevated role, while Baugh’s fellow signee in the class of 2024, KD Daniels, looks to contend with Treyaun Webb and freshmen signees Duke Clark and Byron Louis for carries.
The competition will continue shortly, though Baugh has clearly made a positive impression since spring camp concluded, paving the way for him to potentially be a standout playmaker in his second season at the collegiate level.
“I think for him he’s got a bright future in the game. But he’s done a good job of improving all these areas that have nothing to do with physical talent, you know. And I think he’s a great teammate. He’s a leader. And I think we want to continue to challenge him to be that,” Napier said of Baugh. “So, look, you want to have a good team, some of your better players have gotta kind of walk around setting the standard. We’re challenging him to do that.”