RB Jadan Baugh commits to Florida Gators over Alabama

The Florida Gators have scored a significant — and much needed — recruiting win as 4-star running back Jadan Baugh of Decatur (Ga.) Columbia has committed to Billy Napier’s program over Alabama. The Gators have received his Letter of Intent.

Baugh, who is listed at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, is the No. 26 running back in the country for the On3 Industry Rankings and is No. 21 per On3.

He de-committed from Arkansas on Sunday.

The Gators now have a second running back in the class to go along with 4-star recruit Kahnen Daniels of Mississippi. (Full Gators commit list HERE)

Baugh officially visited Florida two weeks ago.

“We got to talk to coach (Billy) Napier, (running backs) coach (Jabbar) Juluke and the rest of the staff, and honestly, I had fun the whole weekend. I definitely see myself at Florida making a big impact and developing a lot too,” Baugh told Gators Online.

Freshman Florida running back Treyaun Webb was Baugh’s player host.

“The whole time he was telling it’s real special here,” said Baugh. “He said coach Juluke treats you like a son. He said, ‘You can definitely come here and make a big impact.’”

5 things to like about Jadan Baugh

-The body. Baugh is listed at 6-foot-1 and 215 points and that appears to be accurate. On the hoof, he is well-built, with an extremely stout powerbase and solid upper body to go with it. If you like big running backs, you’ll love him. But he’s not slow or stiff. He can move — and he’s agile. 

-His versatility. Baugh started at running back and safety. Much of the game we saw him play in person, he spread out wide and lined up at receiver. Season stats: 1,583 yards on 113 carries (14 ypc), 28 catches for 531 yards, 54 tackles, 6 interceptions. He can do a little bit of everything and the fact he can control the back end of the defense at his size is impressive. He didn’t look uncomfortable or out of place at any of these positions. Now, consider the fact he’ll be a pure running back at Florida and one wonders what he could do when he’s concentrating on only one position.

He has many great attributes

-His feet and vision: Yes, Jadan Baugh is a powerful back who is hard to bring down. But he also has solid footwork and terrific vision — and a high football IQ to match. On a 53-yard touchdown run, there was nothing up the middle so he cut outside and then outran everyone. On multiple runs inside, there looked to be little room and he managed to get 5 or more yards. He sees the holes and has the feet and smarts to pick his way through them.

-He’s deceptively elusive: In the open field, Baugh is a monster and it takes a lot to get him on the ground. He had two long touchdown runs when we saw him play where he raced by his defenders. On another play, he beat the defense over the top on a long pass that covered more than 50 yards. 

-He plays hard — and he cares: During the same game, Baugh went full speed every snap and we only saw him leave the field once. It’s worth noting, he also kicked PATs. He fought for every yard. He often blocked for his quarterback on passing plays. At safety, he fought off blocks and dove for an interception. And after the game, when his team lost a heart-breaker, he didn’t want to walk away. His coaches and family had to console him on the field for several minutes. He was devastated. He left everything out there. If you’re a coach, you want guys who are in agonizing pain after losses.

FORMER UF PLAYER COMPARISON FOR JADAN BAUGH: Ciatrick Fason