Why top rusher, receiver, tackler stayed at Florida despite turnover

At the end of Florida’s disastrous 2025 season, running back Jadan Baugh nearly entered the transfer portal. It took a phone call and a home visit to convince the Gators’ leading rusher to stay in Gainesville for another year.

Linebacker Myles Graham and edge rusher Jayden Woods helped tip the scale.

“Those two guys mean so much to me,” Baugh said. “And with them calling and us sitting there and having that conversation, I just knew for a fact that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be in Gainesville.”

Jon Sumrall also paid Baugh a visit, on Christmas Eve, for good measure. The gesture from Florida’s new head coach “meant everything,” Baugh told On3.com, especially since Sumrall traveled straight to Atlanta from his father’s funeral.

And when all the dust from the transfer portal settled, Baugh was one of 60 returnees on a roster bolstered with 34 transfers and 24 freshmen. At SEC media days Wednesday in Tampa, the junior spoke highly of Florida’s revamped system.

“We’re going to be tough, explosive, fast. We’re going to play fast, and we’re going to be very, very physical,” Baugh said.

Graham, a junior whose 76 tackles led the Gators last season, echoed Baugh’s assessment. He described Florida’s program as one with new spirit.

“This coaching staff brings a whole lot of energy,” Graham said. “They’re loud, they’re energetic, and I think it’s really just contagious. It’ll help us play faster, stronger, more violent on the field.”

Graham was a veteran Sumrall said he wanted on Florida’s roster, given the linebacker’s positive attitude and vocal presence throughout last season. The pair had a few discussions heading into the offseason.

“He was really big on me coming back and being that leader that he believed in me to be,” Graham said. “Just helping be that catalyst to help (players) come back and bring back key parts of this team.”

Ultimately, it didn’t take much to convince the Gainesville native to return.

“The University of Florida, that’s my home,” Graham said. “Everything about it is just me.”

For wideout Vernell Brown III, who amassed a team-high 512 receiving yards last season as a freshman, the decision to return was more about tuning out the noise and focusing on his family’s legacy.

“I’m not necessarily a mercenary for hire, so I don’t go to the highest bidder,” Brown said. “Having established myself at the University of Florida, on top of that family history of me being from Gainesville, was just icing on top of the cake.”

Other players saw little reason to stick around The Swamp, given the way the Gators limped to a 4-8 record in 2025. Coach Billy Napier was fired, quarterback DJ Lagway departed for Baylor and more than 20 other Gators jumped ship.

That left the team with a few questions, some of which have yet to be answered. Redshirt sophomore Aaron Philo (a transfer from Georgia Tech) and redshirt freshman Trammel Jones Jr. have battled for the starting quarterback job throughout the offseason, and the players at this week’s preseason media event demurred when asked for their opinions on the winner.

“Each and every day they continue to show different things, like accuracy and playmaking ability,” Baugh said. “I think both of them just show different traits in what they offer.”

“They’re both definitely field generals,” Graham said. “They’re competing with each other, not against each other. And whoever is the quarterback, I’m backing 100%.”

The Gators will warm up with games against Florida Atlantic and Campbell before opening SEC play at Auburn in mid-September. Sumrall said he looks forward to seeing what his team — full of veterans — can do.

“Each team, every year, this day and age, is so new and unique,” Sumrall said. “I’m very grateful to that group of guys that chose to stay during maybe uncertain times.”

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