Florida's Jadan Baugh Named Top Running Back in Mel Kiper's Big Board
Oct 30, 2026 2:15 PM

ESPN’s draft guru elevates the Gators standout above the nation's elite rushers.

Not only is Florida Gators star running back Jadan Baugh the top at his position in Mel Kiper's Big Board, but he also cracked the nation's top 25 players.

ESPN's analyst released his newest rankings on Friday, Oct. 30, just one day prior to Baugh and Co. taking on the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs.

Florida is coming off a monstrous win in Austin, and now they have nearly two full weeks to prepare for this neutral-site Halloween showdown.

Baugh's contributions mean everything to a Florida offense that hasn't been throwing the ball for 300 yards a game.

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In fact, their leading passer hasn't thrown for more than 200 yards in three of their last four games.

Baugh was at one point a Heisman candidate, though that quickly faded after a pair of roughing outings against Missouri and South Carolina.

That said, he nearly ran for 100 yards against the No. 7 Texas Longhorns, and that wiped out the bad taste he and the national media had in their mouths.

Baugh ranks No. 19 in Kiper's Big Board

To no surprise, Baugh was the only running back to be featured in Kiper's top 25 players.

This was a list full of quarterbacks and defensive standouts, and then of course there were other offensive playmakers such as Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Indiana's Charlie Becker.

The top 10 consists of those two wideouts, four quarterbacks, and then two EDGE rushers, a defensive tackle, and a cornerback.

Baugh wasn't able to climb that high in the rankings as he instead finds himself ranked just below Mississippi State CB Kelley Jones, Rutgers WR KJ Duff, and so on.

Kiper says Baugh "has it all," highlighting his "really good field vision, breakaway speed, and shiftiness." 

Looking at the top five running backs

Of all the incredible running backs Baugh is competing against this season, he ranks above Ole Miss's Kewan Lacy, BYU's LJ Martin, Georgia's Nate Frazier, and SMU's Kendrick Raphael.

Clearly, the SEC has some of the top backs in the entire country, so it's quite an honor for the Gators star to top that list and help represent his conference.

Kiper discussed the fact that his only career fumble came in 2024, so he's as reliable as it gets. 

Baugh has only fumbled once across 1,116 offensive snaps, though those hands will be tested against a stingy Bulldogs defense on Halloween.

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