Despite elite NFL draft projections and 1,170 rushing yards, Florida’s star back Jadan Baugh trails Ole Miss’s Kewan Lacy in recent rankings, fueling a heated debate over SEC dominance.
With a questionable quarterback battle brewing between Tramell Jones Jr. and Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo, new Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall needs to trust that his backfield can win games for the upcoming season.
The Gators have one of the best running backs in college football for the upcoming season. Jadan Baugh rushed for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns on 220 carries last season. He's expected to be a first-round pick in the 2027 draft.
At least with early mock drafts, Baugh appears to be the favorite running back to go in the first round of next year's draft. However, ESPN's Eli Lederman and Max Olson ranked Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy as the No. 1 back in college football.
Lacy rushed 306 times for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns last season for Ole Miss. A staffer with an SEC team told ESPN Lacy is a "more elusive" running back.
"Kewan is more elusive, he did more behind a worse offensive line, he's got the home run ability, he can catch the ball and he's a good pass protector," said the staffer. "He does everything you want."
ESPN ranks Baugh as the No. 2 running back in college football, a snub from where he's expected to go in the pecking order for the NFL next year. Baugh, a six-foot-one, 231-pound athlete, gets polarizing reviews because of his speed. Some SEC staffers think he's the best running back in college football, others think he's too slow to earn that ranking.
Still, Baugh has an extensive list of tools to make up for his lack of speed and still be a threat every time he touches the ball.
"For him to be 230 pounds and to have the lateral agility he has, with the burst and the vision, that's unique," a former Florida staffer told ESPN.
"His stature and his movement skills at that stature make him elite, and then he can finish runs with toughness. He can make plays when there is not a play there."
How Baugh goes this fall will be how new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner's offense goes. He's a powerful back, but there are limitations to his game. If the offensive line opens up holes this season, look out for Baugh.
