When it comes to the weight room, Florida football sophomore running back Jadan Baugh makes his burly teammates shake their heads in wonderment.
“Jadan is a beast,” Florida junior offensive lineman Knijeah Harris. “I would say a little bit of a freak.”
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When Baugh isn’t squatting 565 pounds, he’s setting other records in the Florida Gators‘ weight room to try to fill out his 6-foot-1, 231-pound frame.
Florida strength and conditioning coach Tyler Miles said Baugh is “pound for pound” the strongest player he’s ever coached. But Baugh admitted his maturity in the weight room at least left something to be desired last season.
“Sometimes (I’m) playing around, getting the guys, you know, riled up,” Baugh said. “But Coach Miles is on my head a lot into getting stronger, putting the right things in my body, so I can, you know, continue to get stronger and,produce on the field.”
Baugh’s physical strength on the field was apparent during a freshman All-SEC season in which he led the Gators in rushing (673 yards) and tied for the team lead in rushing TDs (seven), shedding would-be tacklers wasn’t much of a problem, and Baugh displayed his ability to push for tough yards near the goal line in tying a school record with five rushing TDs in a game against Kentucky.
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Why Florida football RB Jadan Baugh signed with UF
Baugh was committed to Arkansas and had an offer from Alabama before flipping on 2023 National Signing Day and joining the Gators. He said the relationship he developed with Florida football coach Billy Napier and Florida running backs coach Jabbar Juluke factored into his decision.
“Coach Juluke, you know, he’s a great guy, and he’s definitely not just going to be a coach,” Baugh said. “He’s going to be, you know, off the field, like an uncle. I think of him as an uncle. He’s not just, you know, teaching me about, you know, football. He’s teaching about life and how to become a better person.”
The first recommendation to recruit Baugh came from Napier’s brother, Matt, a head coach at LaGrange High in Georgia who faced Baugh when LaGrange played Columbia High in Atlanta.
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Baugh played all over the field, including safety, linebacker, running back and wide receiver, which he says helped develop his football IQ.
“Coach Nape and them came in asking me, like, ‘Do you want to play on the defensive side of the ball or offensive side of the ball?’” Baugh said. “I told him, like, ‘I love both sides of the ball. I just want to keep going through the process,’ and when it came to my senior year, you know, I definitely decided to be on the offensive side of the ball.”
Where Florida football RB Jadan Baugh wants to improve in 2025
Baugh said he looked up to Alvin Kamara and LeSean McCoy growing up, two NFL running backs known for their pass-catching skills. After recording one receiving TD as a freshman last season, Baugh is itching for more catches out of the backfield as a sophomore.
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“I stay on the jugs honestly, you know,” Baugh said. “I think that’s a big focus for us as a running back because you’ve got to be able to be an every-down back. So catching the ball is just a priority for me.”
Another goal, Baugh said, is to become a better leader.
“I don’t feel like I’m a great leader, but I feel like I’m an OK leader right now because, you know, I’m still growing, and we all are,” Baugh said. “So that’s my main goal.”
Baugh said more improvements will come through other running backs on the team pushing him to play better. He split carries with fellow running back Ja’Kobi Jackson last season, and the two would sometimes play “rock, paper, scissors” on the sidelines to see who would go in next.
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“I’ve got a lot of things to work on as, you know, pass pro, footwork, you know, being a better runner,” Baugh said. “It opened my eyes a lot more to see what’s on the field because the game is fast, and coming into it from high school and coming to college is, like, kind of hard.
“But I feel like the guys in my room want to push me, and they’re pushing me every day to become a better player.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football RB Jadan Baugh looks to build off freshman All-SEC season
