Jon Sumrall Stayed Home. So Did His Star Running Back. It Was A Brilliant Choice.
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Why every Gator fan ought to love Jadan Baugh, forever.
By Buddy Martin
Last December, Jadan Baugh's dad could not put his phone down.
"It rang from eight in the morning to nine at night. Every day."
Florida had just fired its head coach. Baugh was coming off a 1,170-yard season and second team All-SEC. Every program that needed a running back wanted him in the transfer portal.
The offers, his dad said, were "substantial." The top of the running back market that cycle hit seven figures.
Texas was the biggest threat.
Florida's new head coach, Jon Sumrall, had just been hired. And days before Christmas, his own father died.
On Christmas Eve, Sumrall showed up at Baugh's grandmother's house anyway.
He brought his family. He brought his offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner, the man who had recruited Baugh out of high school.
Baugh's dad put out Chick-fil-A chicken minis, donuts and fruit.
Faulkner walked through the offense. Then Baugh's dad made his own pitch.
"You can go to Texas and have a great year, but it'd be just a great year. If you stay at Florida and have another great year, you'll go down as one of the best running backs to ever come through the place."
But what got Baugh was simpler than that.
"I knew it was going to be home when Coach Sumrall came to my grandmother's house on Christmas."
"For him, coming around at that time, even though his dad had just passed. That was the main thing. He showed he cared."
He stayed.
Now look.
Through three games: 54 carries. 458 yards. 8 touchdowns.
He leads the country with 30 missed tackles forced.
Saturday at Auburn, he ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns, including a 53-yard run on fourth and 1 in the fourth quarter. Florida won 44-39. Sumrall's first SEC win. Florida's first 3-0 start since 2019.
This is the kid from Decatur, Georgia who scored five touchdowns in his first college start, a school record. Who ran for 266 yards against Florida State last year, second most in school history behind only Emmitt Smith.
Saturday, No. 4 Ole Miss comes to the Swamp.
Dating back to last season, Baugh has four straight games with multiple rushing touchdowns.
The last SEC player with a longer streak was Derrick Henry in his Heisman-winning 2015 season (five straight).
FanDuel has Baugh's “over/under” for rushing yards vs Ole Miss set at 118.5 (-114 odds either way). He's produced 160, 136 and 162 yards on the ground.
There’s a special bond between Baugh and his teammates. Listen to tight end Lacota Dippre on Jadan Baugh:
"I went up to him on the sideline, and I was like 'Bro, you're different. It's a pleasure to block for you.'"
The running back who almost left will be in the backfield Saturday, so Dippre will have plenty of chances. All because his coach showed up at Grandma's on Christmas Eve.
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