QB Julian Sayin’s arm is doing the heavy lifting at Columbus. However, the ground attack needs a bit of that Ezekiel Elliott touch to make it smooth sailing. At Madison, Ohio State smoked Wisconsin 34-0, yet the poor run game drew most of the attention. Now, working along those lines, Ryan Day is reportedly engaged in an RB war with Texas’ Steve Sarkisian.

According to Zach Abolverdi of the Gators Online, Ryan Day is interested in Florida Gators’ Jadan Baugh. The 6’1, 231-pound running back recently made Florida history, becoming the first Gator (since Kelvin Taylor) to rush for 1,000 yards.

Given how the Billy Napier era concluded at the Swamp, Jadan Baugh might be on the lookout for greener pastures. That being said, Steve Sarkisian might have thrown a wrench in Ryan Day’s plans.

After failing to reach the playoffs, Steve Sarkisian is rebooting the offense, having already hired a new running back coach, Jabbar Juluke. He’s straight from the Swamp – mentoring Jadan Baugh since freshman year. After he departed for Texas, Baugh shared that development on social media.

Following that, Texas QB1 Arch Manning started following him on Instagram. This piqued college football’s attention, prompting Florida HC Jon Sumrall to be on high alert.

Although the team’s veteran quarterback had an injury-marred campaign, Baugh held Florida’s boat afloat.

With eight touchdowns and 1,170 yards on his 2025 resume, he is ranked third in the SEC (as an RB). In 2024, he recorded seven touchdowns for 673 yards, making the most of his freshman season.

With a stacked resume, he comes off as a lucrative prospect for programs struggling with the run game. Both Texas and OSU are interested in him.

Presently, chatter has it that Steve Sarkisian has offered him (Baugh) $1.5 million in NIL. So far, he hasn’t announced his plans for the transfer portal.

It’s not the first time a situation like this has occurred. A similar scenario played out with Alabama running back Trey Sanders entering the transfer portal following a coaching transition. Florida often saw top players depart with staff changes as the transfer portal disrupted the progress.

Against this backdrop, Baugh’s potential move reflects a growing trend in college football.

There is light at the end of the tunnel as his recent activities suggest a renewed interest that extends beyond Florida.

Jon Sumrall’s tough call on his star RB

Coming off a challenging few years, Billy Napier’s era did nothing to alleviate the Gators’ frayed nerves. As Sumrall transitions into his new role, he also aims to restore the SEC blue bloods’ prominence in Florida.

In addition to transitioning to his new HC role at the Swamp, he must earn the trust of Florida fans, as Lane Kiffin was the one Gainesville wanted.

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Working towards a program reboot, he absolutely does not want Jadan Baugh to leave.

“He’s extremely high priority,” Sumrall said during a Zoom call from Tulane ahead of the CFP. “He’s a proven player, frontline player in the SEC. I have a lot of respect for what he’s done. We’d love to have the opportunity to retain him. It’s one of the top priorities right now.”

Florida is not eager to let go of him. But on the other hand, Texas and OSU’s interest poses a threat to Jon Sumrall.

Both programs might be willing to splurge money on transfers. For the 2023-24 financial year, OSU spent nearly $78.6 million on its football program, according to The Athletic.

It’s not just Ohio State. Texas is also making a significant impact right now in its aim for the national championship. Will Ryan Day be able to convince Jadan to come to OSU? What do you think? Let us know.