Jadan Baugh after his 61-yard dash in Saturday night's runaway victory over Florida Atlantic at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
The Baugh Show Returns
Sunday, September 6, 2026 | Football
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By: Ryan Roddy, FloridaGators.com Student Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jadan Baugh left fans on a cliffhanger in the Gators' 2025 season finale.
The last time he graced the green grass of The Swamp, Baugh pounced on FSU, rushing 38 times for 266 yards in an incredible Saturday night performance that helped Florida defeat its in-state rivals as Baugh surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for his sophomore campaign, which carried its own significance.
Now with a new director and a fresh cast of co-stars, Baugh returned to Spurrier-Florida Field with the same dominance he left it with against the Seminoles. In the first half and first offensive drive of the third quarter of Florida's season-opening 66-21 win vs. FAU, Baugh rushed 14 times for 160 yards and three touchdowns, including a career-long 61-yard dash.
"Yeah, he's a really good football player," said Gators head coach Jon Sumrall. "I tell 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."
The passing game took the main spotlight early.
Jadan Baugh soars through the air on one of his three touchdown runs against Florida Atlantic. (Photo: Gabriella Childers/UAA Communications)
In their first two drive the Gators scored through the air, first with a 49-yard Vernell Brown III touchdown catch, the first of his career, and then a 12-yard Bailey Stockton touchdown catch, the first of his Gators career. But in a night of firsts, it was the familiarity of Baugh that eventually took center stage.
And Faulkner didn't have to hand it to him.
On Florida's first drive of the second quarter, Baugh lined up side-by-side next to quarterback Aaron Philo. Then, the two shifted, putting Baugh at quarterback, with both players stationing their hands out as if to confuse. But even the crowd knew what was going on; fans cheered, not with excitement but with intrigue. But it didn't quite pan out. A high snap was mishandled, and the Gators lost 20 yards.
They were not deterred, though; they tried the same play on their next drive and got a different result. Baugh took the direct snap and took the ball into the end zone for his second touchdown of the night.
Philo, finally seeing Baugh firsthand in game action, was mesmerized.
"Unbelievable," Philo said. "Honestly, I've never seen anything like it. The dude's unreal. And to have him in the backfield with me, he's a weapon, he really is. And when you can hand the ball to him, it allows us to open up the passing game as well."
For Sumrall, Baugh matched the high expectations. The expectations set when retaining Baugh became not a want, but a need. The expectations that sent Sumrall to Baugh's grandmother's house on Christmas Eve.
"Every bit as good as I thought he'd be," Sumrall said. "I told him the night before the game, I said, 'Hey, I'm glad you're still here. Thanks for staying. I'm very, very glad he's a Florida Gator."
Baugh is glad he is back, too.
"Well, it felt great to me honestly, just being in The Swamp, seeing the fans, like hearing how loud it gets," Baugh said. "I'm just ready to do it again."
Baugh is not complacent. Towards the end of Sumrall's press conference, he made an example using Baugh, saying, "We gotta get everyone in this program better; we got to get Jadan Baugh better."
Baugh, waiting for his turn to speak and answer questions, sat two seats down from the reporter who asked the question, locked in on what his coach was saying, and nodded in agreement.
He also didn't know that, with his Saturday night performance, he had eclipsed the 2,000 career rushing yards mark until a reporter mentioned it to him. He did so on his 367th career carry, making him the 10th fastest to reach the milestone in program history; one carry better than his teammate Myles Graham's father, Earnest Graham.
"I feel good. I just want to keep going," Baugh said of the milestone.
No. 13's impact is not limited to the field either. While his day ended after his third score, Sumrall said Baugh, cheering on his teammates, spoke highly of his character. Baugh said he has been working on being a better vocal leader.
"I also really had a great appreciation for, late in the game, when he wasn't in, seeing his enthusiasm for his teammates to have opportunities to have success," Sumrall said. "Seeing his excitement for his teammates says a lot about him too."
"Being a lot more vocal, using my own voice," Baugh said when asked about the difference in him as a leader. "Using my own voice, getting the guys to understand that we can be one of the best offenses in the country."
Fans will not have to wait another 180 days to watch the Jadan Baugh Show live again. It will be just seven when it resumes, when Florida hosts Campbell next Saturday.
