The long saga over whether Florida Gators running back Jadan Baugh would enter the NCAA transfer portal amid interest from the Texas Longhorns and other powerhouse programs came to an end Tuesday when Baugh opted to remain in Gainesville under new head coach Jon Sumrall and his staff.
Baugh has two seasons of eligibility remaining after rushing for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns on 220 carries in 2025, a breakout season that put him in the spotlight and on the Texas staff’s wish list after he ran for 107 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in the Gators’ upset of the Longhorns to open SEC play.
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If the odds of landing Baugh increased slightly with the expected firing of head coach Billy Napier just two weeks after the win over Texas, the hiring of former Gators running backs coach Jabbar Juluke last month appeared to increase them substantially for the Horns.
But Texas didn’t even officially get the chance to pursue Baugh, a recruitment that instead took place behind the scenes in communication with its representation in the current Wild West era of college football, and misses out on the big-bodied running back to Louisville standout Isaac Brown, another running back with Texas ties, who opted to remain with the Cardinals.
Those are big 1-2 punches to catch the Longhorns in the jaw just days after the portal opened, forcing the staff to move forward with its backup plan for Baugh as a long-held dream died Tuesday.