Jadan Baugh just blasted his way into the thick of the Heisman Trophy race, grabbing the No. 3 spot in Sports Illustrated’s latest rankings. This dude’s officially a “Heisman Favorite” now, and frankly, it feels like the whole college football world just got put on notice after Florida absolutely walloped Ole Miss, 52-28. That game? It was Baugh’s national announcement party.
Baugh Is Running Like a Man Possessed and Everyone’s Noticing
The Florida Gators are sitting pretty at 4-0, and you can bet Baugh is the engine driving that train. He’s already racked up a mind-blowing 600 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on just 83 carries. And yeah, he’s even got two receptions for 18 yards, just to show he can do it all. This Georgia native isn’t just playing well; he’s setting the league on fire. He’s currently first in total points scored, total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, and even missed tackles. Pro Football Focus even graded him out as the highest-graded offensive player in the game. You telling me that’s not special? He’s had at least three touchdowns in three of his four games, and he’s hit at least two scores in every single appearance. Oh, and get this: he even had a game with under 130 rushing yards. That’s how consistently dominant he’s been.
He’s on a Pace We Haven’t Seen in Decades
If Baugh keeps this up, he’s on pace for a ridiculous 1,800 rushing yards, a number that hasn’t been touched since Jamario Thomas did it for North Texas way back in 2004. Since 2000, only three running backs have even snagged the Heisman: Derrick Henry in 2015, Mark Ingram in 2009, and Reggie Bush in 2005. But here’s the kicker: through his first four games, Baugh has over 100 more rushing yards than Reggie Bush had at the same point in his Heisman season (Bush had 491). And it gets crazier. Baugh has nearly double the touchdowns that both Bush and Henry had through their first four games (they each had 6). He’s doing this with another rising back, Duke Clark, right there in the backfield with him. This kind of dominance, this level of execution, it’s borderline unprecedented.
The Heisman race might have looked like Trinidad Chambliss was the clear favorite after he took down his old coach Lane Kiffin, and Chambliss is still No. 1 even after Ole Miss fell to Florida. But the gap? It’s narrowed big time. Baugh is right there at No. 3, just behind Ohio State’s wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and ahead of Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor. If Baugh keeps tearing it up against Missouri next week and beyond, there’s absolutely no doubt he’s getting that invite to New York. This guy is bringing the heat.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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