Four days out from Florida’s season opener against Florida Atlantic, expectations are high, energy is palpable and Florida’s leaders are bought into offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner’s scheme.
On Tuesday, Faulkner, junior running back Jadan Baugh and sophomore receiver Vernell Brown III detailed the leadership and mentality that makes this year’s Florida team different.
Faulkner heads into his first season in Gainesville and boasts 14 years of OC experience plus two national championship titles under his belt. Now, he eyes a 2026 season with a talented roster and versatile weapons.
The Gators finished last season 4-8 and turned the roster on its head in the offseason. A fresh coaching staff, a revamped roster with 50-plus newcomers, but the goal remains the same: Win.
Despite the surge of new faces in Gainesville this season, Faulkner is pleased with the improvement thus far, and he’s been pushing his offense to elevate the program to where he wants it to be.
“I have high expectations as well,” Faulkner said. “We’re gonna have a young quarterback, we’ve got some weapons around him … We’re nowhere near a finished product, but we’re going to continue to strive every day to be the best we can be.”
Gators head coach Jon Sumrall announced Aaron Philo as the team’s starting quarterback for Week 1. Philo, a 6-foot-1 junior, spent the last two seasons with Faulkner at Georgia Tech. He carries limited experience after logging just eight games of action with the Yellow Jackets.
Despite the questions and growing pains that come with a new quarterback, Baugh’s steady veteran presence in the backfield should prove a constant for the signal caller.
“A young quarterback’s best friend is a good run game,” Faulkner said.
One of the handful of returning offensive cornerstones, Baugh will be a key asset heading into a season riddled with question marks for Florida. He’s coming off a 1,170-rushing yard sophomore campaign and was named to the Maxwell Award watch list Aug. 3.
Baugh has the chance to become the first Gator to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in back-to-back seasons.
With Baugh’s steady work ethic and production, the offense’s biggest improvement, according to Faulkner, has been its run game.
The improvement has come through dedication to learning the playbook and understanding different run schemes, Faulkner said. Additionally, with multiple key pieces behind Baugh, the depth present in the backfield will allow Faulkner to manage the junior’s workload and ensure he stays healthy through a daunting nine-game conference schedule.
“Look at Jadan, he’s built to last,” Faulkner said. “We want to make sure that he’s fast, he’s fresh, his body’s in great shape throughout the course of the season. One thing with a back like him is you want him in the fourth quarter on your side, and we’re lucky he's here with us.”
Baugh also branched into a greater leadership role in his third season in Gainesville but has attacked every day with the mindset that every running back in the room, including himself, can learn something from the others.
“Just being a great leader towards them guys and learning from them as well,” Baugh said. “I feel like from the youngest guy in our room to the oldest guy in our room, we can all learn from each other. We all become better.”
That mindset, along with the brotherhood Florida has built in its locker room have unified the offense and its top talent heading into Week 1.
Brown praised Faulkner and the rest of the staff’s ability to teach new schemes and rally the program. The wideout, along with Baugh, was named to the Paul Hornung watch list, given to the most versatile player in college football.
In a wide receiver room overflowing with multifaceted athletes, there is bound to be immense competition. A young quarterback plus a crew headlined by Brown and Dallas Wilson could be a recipe for a selfish drive of wanting the ball. Brown made it clear that that is far from the case.
“Obviously as receivers, there’s a natural want for the ball, but understanding that your turn is your turn and it might not be some guys’ turn right now, but having a genuine brotherhood and care for someone and be happy for them, despite you not maybe getting what you want,” Brown said.
Regardless of who lines up on offense for the Gators on Saturdays, the mantra remains the same. Florida will remain poised and echo the mentality of hitting hard and fast. No matter the challenges they face or battles they have to overcome, the Gators will look to display a dominant tenacity on both sides of the ball.
“Going into it with the mindset of just being tough, physical, relentless and being a very scrappy team, regardless of how an outcome is or how much adversity we face, and we’re just going to go out there and give our best at all times,” Baugh said.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Contact Riley Orovitz at rorovitz@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @rileyorovitz.
Curan is a senior sports journalism student in his sixth semester at The Alligator. He is currently a sports editor and football beat reporter for the Gators and the Jaguars. He previously served as a men's tennis and sports enterprise reporter, and he is pursuing a public relations minor.
Riley is a sophomore sports journalism student in her second semester at The Alligator. She is the beat reporter for Gators Gymnastics and Swim & Dive while also contributing to the Gators Football Beat. She previously served in the same role in her first semester with the newspaper. Riley is an avid South Florida sports fan and enjoys playing/following all sports in her free time.
