Gators RB Jadan Baugh Named to Maxwell Award Watch List

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Heading into what could be his final season with the Florida Gators, running back Jadan Baugh has been named to the 2026 Maxwell Award preseason watch list, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday.

Baugh is one of 81 players named to the list, which will be narrowed down to a group of semifinalists on Nov. 10 and then three finalists on Nov. 24. The winner will be announced during the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10. Should he win, Baugh would be Florida's third different winner and fourth overall winner after quarterback Tim Tebow took home the award twice (2007, 2008) and quarterback Danny Wuerffel took it home once (1996).

Jadan Baugh → Maxwell Award Watch List 🐊

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Baugh is coming off one of the greatest rushing seasons in program history after rushing for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore, becoming the program's first single-season 1,000-yard rusher since 2015. That accolade also made him the 10th Gator and third UF underclassmen to do so in program history. It is also the seventh-most in program history.

Baugh reached the mark with a 266-yard effort in the season finale against Florida State, which is the second-most in program history and the first 200-yard performance since Ciatrick Fason's 210 against Kentucky in 2004. Baugh earned All-SEC Second Team honors to end the season and was named to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team as a running back and to the Third Team as an all-purpose player.

Entering 2026, Baugh will be a feature piece of new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner's offense, which is predicated on getting the best players the ball in the best ways possible.

“Yeah I mean we want to get our best players the football, and he’s one of them," head coach Jon Sumrall said during SEC Media Day. "We’ve got to be good around him, but, you know, there’s a lot of areas where Jadan’s already a proven player. There’s areas where I think we can help him continue to grow and improve, and maybe create more explosive plays for himself, but he’s physical, he’s strong, he’s faster than you give him credit for. He’s hit great numbers on the GPS this summer. I’m fired up to watch him play in this system, because I think you get a guy like that maybe in some one-on-one space tackles, it’s like okay he can run through you, around you, a lot of different ways to make a play.”

Should Baugh replicate last season's numbers, he would become the first back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher in program history, while also solidifying himself as one of the greatest running backs in program history and a surefire first-round pick in the NFL Draft.

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