Inside the numbers on Florida RB Jadan Baugh's scorching start to the season

The junior running back leads the nation with eight rushing touchdowns and has the 21st-ranked Gators rolling into a top-25 showdown with Ole Miss

Sep 22, 2026 at 12:41 pm ET • 3 min read

As Jadan Baugh arrived in the back of the end zone following a 53-yard touchdown run that put Florida ahead three scores in last week's win at Auburn, he struck a pose. 

The Heisman pose, to be specific.

At this rate, Baugh may just run all the way to the Heisman ceremony in New York. He's the top running back on the odds sheet (+6000 at DraftKings), and his coach has no qualms with Baugh trying out the iconic stance.

How could he? Baugh leads the nation in rushing touchdowns with eight and is second in rushing yards with 458. After three straight 100-yard games to begin the season, the junior star has the Gators one win away from matching last season's total.

"I'm not going to take the fun away," first-year Gators coach Jon Sumrall said Monday. "Growing up as a kid, you said, 'I want to go play football,' not work football. Now it's our livelihood, and it's our job, but I want him to enjoy it. I think that's a way now for him to celebrate and have fun with it."

As the No. 21 Gators prepare to host No. 4 Ole Miss on Saturday, Baugh and Florida seem to be having plenty of fun. As slight favorites against the Rebels, the Gators have a chance to arrive on the national scene earlier than expected under Sumrall. So does Baugh, who chose to remain in Gainesville through the coaching transition from Billy Napier to Sumrall.

Baugh finished third in the SEC with 1,170 rushing yards last season, but as Florida faded from view amid a 4-8 season, Baugh didn't necessarily reach national stardom. He would have been a hot commodity in the transfer portal, but Sumrall made retaining Baugh a top priority. Their partnership is paying early dividends.

Among players who have registered 30+ rushing attempts, Baugh's 55.6% tackle avoidance rate leads the nation. The next-closest SEC running back in that metric is South Carolina's Matt Fuller at 34.2%.

Among the other numbers that tell the story of Baugh's 2026 stardom:

• 8.5 yards per carry (No. 4 nationally)
• 33 tackles avoided (No. 2 nationally)
• 267 yards after contact (No. 4 nationally)
• Baugh is the only FBS player averaging 7.5 yards per carry and 150 yards per game

At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, Baugh is physical enough to run through defenders and also shifty enough to make the sort of instant cuts that can make defenders whiff.

"He's been very impressive with making people miss," Sumrall said. "Some of them have been by maybe a movement, but some of them have been by running through them, too."

Baugh's 53-yard scoring scamper against Auburn came at the perfect time. Had the Gators failed to convert on the fourth-and-1 play, they would have returned the football to Auburn's high-octane offense near midfield and teed up the Tigers to draw within a possession.

Instead, the Atlanta native found a hole and accelerated through it for a game-changing score. The timing of the knockout blow was no coincidence. Florida methodically leaned on Auburn over the course of the game, nearly doubling the Tigers in time of possession.

With fellow backs Duke Clark and Evan Pryor also combining for 14 carries, Baugh entered the second half fresh enough to make a fatiguing Auburn defense pay, which is exactly what he did in the fourth quarter.

"The more carries, the better he plays," Sumrall said. "He's been a little bit more decisive on sticking the foot in the ground and getting vertical at times. I think he sees it better as the game goes, too. I think physically he gets better, but I also think vision-wise of seeing what's there. Once he gets more carries, you feel him naturally finding a groove in the run game and seeing things clear."

Florida is reaping the benefits of the grueling physical ground attack spearheaded by Baugh. The Gators have scored 42+ points in each of their first three games for the first time since 2007, when Tim Tebow was the quarterback.

Ironically, that was the last time a Florida player won the Heisman. Nearly two decades later, the Gators have another offensive star who looks natural striking the pose.