Florida football RB Jadan Baugh discusses decision to return, becoming a leader

It took a Christmas Eve meeting and a weighty Name, Image and Likeness deal from Florida Victorius for Florida football running back Jadan Baugh to return to UF for his junior season. Retaining Baugh was one of the first priorities for new Florida Gators football coach Jon Sumrall. That's why Sumrall chose not to cancel the Christmas Eve meeting in Atlanta with Baugh after Sumrall's father, George Sumrall, passed away less than a week earlier on December 18, 2025, following a lengthy illness.

"For him to bring his family to come see me and to say that his dad wanted to be here, that means the most to me," Baugh said. "Because that shows that you really, really care about your job. You really, really care about what's going on with your players that you want.

" After a breakout sophomore season, Baugh is looking to take on a role as both a leader and one of the focal points of UF's offense in Sumrall's first season. "That's one of the biggest challenges that I had overcome, is being a leader, being more vocal, saying the things that a lot of guys don't want to hear," Baugh said. "I feel like that's always gonna get us over the hump, and that's what helped me get over the hump.

" Sumrall said he's challenged Baugh to set an example this spring with his work habits and attention to detail. "I'm challenging him not to be decent at what he does, but to be elite at what he does," Sumrall said. "He'll tell you, I called him out in a meeting a month ago in front of the entire team about, ‘Hey man, I think you had a chance to be a pro in everything we do, with how we do everything.