Jadan Baugh on Heisman Trophy chase: ‘I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to’

Although we’re just three weeks into the 2026 college football season, multiple big-time players have already thrown their names into the race for the Heisman Trophy this year. Miami‘s Malachi Toney, Ohio State‘s Jeremiah Smith, and Florida‘s Jadan Baugh have all already hit the ‘Heisman Trophy pose’ after scoring touchdowns this season. The latter of the trio, Jadan Baugh, is looking to become the first running back to win the award since Alabama‘s Derrick Henry (2015). Baugh is certainly off to a stellar start this season, as he boasts 458 rushing yards (second most in FBS) and eight rushing scores (T-most in FBS) through three games. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage Ahead of No. 21 Florida‘s monstrous home game against No. 4 Ole Miss this Saturday, Baugh joined ‘SportsCenter’ Tuesday night to discuss his pursuit of the Heisman Trophy. Along with discussing the sentiment behind making the gesture, he revealed what his dad does to keep the prestigious award on his mind. “It’s just a statement,” Baugh said. “Me and my teammates been pushing for me and our program for a long time. With those guys on the O-line, the wide receivers, and the quarterbacks behind me, I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to. “My mom and my dad always tell me to stay humble. My dad’s been sending me the Heisman Trophy each Monday. I see it each and everyday. He says, ‘go get me that’. Jon Sumrall on Baugh: ‘You don’t know what to do, you just hand it to 13’ Following Billy Napier‘s mid-season firing in 2025, Baugh could have entered the Portal this offseason and been one of the highest ranked players available. However, he trusted in the hire of Jon Sumrall and the program and decided to stay in Gainesville. The decision looks to be paying off, as Baugh has been positioned as one of the marquee players in not just the SEC, but all of college football. Three games into his third season at Florida, Baugh sits at 2,301 career rushing yards. He’s 164 rushing yards away from passing Chris Rainey for the 10th-most rushing yards in program history. If he were to match last season’s rushing total this year (1,170 yards), he would finish with the sixth-most rush yards in school history. Surpassing last year’s total could put him in elite company, surpassing the likes of Earnest Graham, Fred Taylor, or Neal Anderson. The sky is the limit for the Atlanta native. “Yeah, he’s a really good football player. And if I tell (OC) Buster (Faulkner) all the time, you don’t know what to do, you just hand it to 13. That’ll work usually,” Florida head coach Jon Sumrall said following the Gators’ season-opening 66-21 win over FAU. “Uh, he, he’s phenomenal. He’s a great kid, um, every bit as good as I thought he’d be. I told him tonight before the game, I said, hey, I’m, I’m glad you’re still here. Thanks for staying. Uh, very, very glad he’s a Florida Gator. “I also really had a great appreciation for late in the game when he wasn’t in, seeing his enthusiasm for his teammates to have opportunities to have success when he saw, you know, Duke (Clark) and Byron (Louis) and some of the other guys in the room get, get some carries. (Anthony) Rubio got in there. Like I think seeing his excitement for his teammates says a lot about him too.”