Days after the transfer portal officially opened Jan. 2, Jadan Baugh's decision has been made: He will remain a Florida Gator, as first announced by Pete Nakos.
The star running back confirmed the report moments later on his X account, posting that he had re-signed with Florida Victorious.
He becomes another key member of Florida's roster to re-sign with the program. Returnees includes quarterback Tramell Jones Jr., wide receivers Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson, defensive linemen Kamran James and LJ McCray, linebackers Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles, and defensive backs Dijon Johnson, Cormani McClain and Bryce Thornton.
A four-star recruit in the 2024 Class, the Atlanta native quickly emerged in his freshman season as UF's top rusher. Baugh appeared in all 13 games and made four starts, leading the Gators in rushing yards (673), total touchdowns (8) and tying for team-best in rushing touchdowns (7).
In his first career start against Kentucky Oct. 19, 2024, Baugh ran for five touchdowns, tying the program record with Trey Burton (2010) and Tim Tebow (2007). Overall, Baugh finished the 2024 season with a 81.8 Pro Football Focus grade.
Even though Baugh's 2024 was superb, his 2025 was on another level, as while Florida's team success dipped, he remained a consistent force in the backfield.
On 220 carries, he ran for 1,170 yards and scored eight times en route to becoming the first Gators running back to exceed the 1,000 yard rushing mark since Kelvin Taylor did so in 2015. He also placed himself on an elite list of Gators running backs to reach the yardage total as underclassman, joining Errict Rhett (1991) and Emmitt Smith (1987). Baugh also emerged as a receiving threat, catching 33 passes and racking up 210 yards and two touchdowns
Overall, Baugh recorded 253 offensive touches, while gaining a total of 1,290 yards and 10 touchdowns. His rushing mark of 1,170 yards placed him 3rd in the SEC and 14th nationally among all players in 2025.
He earned a 88.1 PFF grade for his excellent campaign, in which he recorded 767 yards after contact and forced 66 missed tackles, per PFF.
Baugh's decision to stay is a massive one for Jon Sumrall and new running backs coach Chris Foster, both of whom reportedly met with Baugh on Christmas Eve. Behind Baugh, incoming Cincinnati transfer Evan Pryor and freshman Duke Clark are likely to serve in complementary roles.
Baugh's retention became even more crucial as four Gator RBs entered the portal: KD Daniels, Chad Gasper Jr., Treyaun Webb and Ja'Kobi Jackson.
There are a number of programs who were reportedly vying for Baugh's services. The primary program linked to Baugh has been Texas, who hired Florida's former running back coach Jabbar Juluke in December.
"Coach Juluke is one of the best running back coaches in America," Baugh said following UF's victory over Florida State Nov. 29. "I feel that heavy. Him talking to me every day, pushing me the right way, I feel like that made me the player I am today."
Ohio State and Georgia are two other major programs who have been linked to Baugh over the last few weeks.
This is a developing story.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max is a junior sports journalism student in his seventh semester at The Alligator. He serves as The Alligator's assistant sports editor and football beat coordinator. He previously served as The Alligator's sports editor and as a reporter for football, women's tennis, volleyball, lacrosse and sports enterprise. He also has made multiple appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. Max wants to shoutout his cats, Scooter and Zoe, and niche former Florida Panthers players (shoutout Maxim Mamin).
