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Greg McElroy offers explanation for making Jadan Baugh an honorable mention Top 10 running back

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs05/12/25grant_grubbs_
Jadan-Baugh-Florida-Gators
Florida Gators running back Jadan Baugh (13) runs with the ball against the Tulane Green Wave during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. (Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images)

Florida running back Jadan Baugh just missed the cut for ESPN analyst Greg McElroy’s Top 10 running back list for next season. Alas, McElroy couldn’t help but show some love to the sophomore standout.

“One of the most physically impressive running backs in college football is Jadan Baugh,” McElroy said. “Last year, he was a true freshman, but his size, speed, power ratio is just extremely rare. You’re just not used to seeing a guy at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, that got much better as the season went along last year.

“Now, he was not a guy that was expected to be in the mix as often as he was there in the first two or three games of the year. Thought it was going to be Montrell Johnson. Thought it would be maybe a couple other veterans, but they just couldn’t keep Jadan Baugh off the field. He had such a great feel for Billy Napier‘s offense, and his progress and his strong finish have him carrying a lot of momentum into the offseason.”

Baugh played in all 13 of Florida’s games last season and made four starts. He tallied 133 carries for team-highs of 673 yards and seven touchdowns. He also recorded four catches for 33 yards and a score.

For his efforts, he was named a Freshman All-SEC selection. Florida was the only FBS team to be 3-0 when starting a true freshmen backfield last season. Moreover, McElroy believes that Baugh could take a leap in the 2025 campaign.

“He’s massive, he’s big, he’s difficult to bring down, he’s extremely strong, and he also is in an offense that I think suits his skillset extremely well,” McElroy said. “Keep an eye on Jadan Baugh and the progress that could be made here in 2025.”

Baugh showed off his offseason progress in April at Florida’s spring game. He and fellow RB Ja’Kobi Jackson were standouts at the event and are only helping each other continue to improve.

“Jadan Baugh is great,” Jackson said. “We compete every day. That’s my guy. We don’t hold nothing against each other.

“Whenever we do something wrong or something we don’t think we should do, we’ll be like, ‘Hey, man, you could have did this.’ And we take it like that and just go on with it. Every day is a competition and we come in ready to work every day.”