Jadan Baugh’s return was one of the offseason’s biggest headlines, but Florida still faced a major task in rebuilding its running back depth after the departures of Ja’Kobi Jackson, Treyaun Webb, and KD Daniels.
The Gators added Cincinnati transfer Evan Pryor and East Carolina transfer London Montgomery while also returning Bryon Louis and Duke Clark, giving Florida five scholarship running backs.
Things moved quickly for newly hired running backs coach Chris Foster, who spent his first full day on the job visiting Baugh in Atlanta in an effort to keep the star back from entering the transfer portal.
It’s no secret why Baugh was a priority for this staff. The 6’1, 231 pound running back was selected to the All-SEC Second Team after rushing for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
Baugh will enter the 2026 season as one of the best running backs in college football, but Foster believes there’s still another level he can reach.
“He got a high ceiling. To me, every day — all of us, no matter what — we can get better. And so he understands and knows that,” Foster said on Baugh.
Baugh averaged 5.3 yards per carry last season despite a long run of just 23 yards, highlighting his down-to-down efficiency. His explosive run rate ranked fifth among SEC running backs, but his 20-plus-yard run percentage placed 13th in the conference, according to SEC Stat.
“I mean, man, he’s a football player, but he had some runs that were efficient runs that I felt like could have been explosive runs if the attention to detail was there, and he saw that in those. So once again, that’s something that this offseason that we’re gonna work on,” Foster said.
“Number one deal is attention to detail,” Foster said on where Baugh can improve. “Understanding how important is my alignment, understanding the tracks and understanding the tempo of the play. And in the route game, understanding, ‘OK, I gotta get to this landmark because I gotta open up this route.’ Or if this route isn’t open, I’m the guy that’s gonna get the ball. So just getting him to understand concepts of where he fits in. And the other deal is football IQ. I think he has a good foundation, but we want to continue to grow on that.”
One of the ways Florida’s staff sold Baugh on returning to Gainesville was by showing him film of NFL players with similar skill sets and how those traits translate within their scheme. Among the comparisons they presented was three-time All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey.
“He’s a guy that’s very dynamic that can play all areas of the field that creates mismatches in the passing game for the linebackers,” Foster said. “So I can see that direct correlation of being a Christian McCaffrey type back in this offense and scheme.”
A significant amount of speed left Florida’s running back room when Ja’Kobi Jackson and KD Daniels entered the transfer portal, prompting the staff to prioritize adding a true game changer to the backfield.
Enter Cincinnati transfer Evan Pryor.
The 5’9, 195-pound back averaged 7.12 yards per carry over the past two seasons, showcasing the explosiveness Florida sought. In 2025, 18 of Pryor’s 76 rushing attempts went for 10 or more yards, the second-most in the country among running backs with fewer than 100 carries.
“Felt like we needed some juice. Some guys that had some home-run speed ability, and Evan presented that,” Foster said on Pyror. “And so, I knew Evan coming out of Charlotte. So kind of recruited him coming out. So I kind of knew about him, and of course, followed him very closely. And he was a guy that I feel like could give us a home-run guy that we didn’t have.”
East Carolina transfer London Montgomery is another back Foster has followed closely having served as the Pirates running back coach from 2021-22. Through his first two seasons, Montgomery has rushed for 1,101 yards and nine touchdowns. He set career highs in 2025 with 742 yards and seven scores, emerging as one of East Carolina’s most productive offensive weapons.
“I just kind of watched him very closely this year, and he was a guy that was a very productive back for them,” Foster said on Montgomery.
Duke Clark is back in Gainesville for his second season after recording 58 rushing yards on 15 carries as a rookie.
Although he appeared in only four games and redshirted, Clark played a key role in Florida’s upset of Texas, totaling 38 yards on nine carries as Baugh’s backup due to multiple injuries. Clark ran tough against a talented Texas front that limited Baugh to just 4.0 yards per carry in the contest.
“Explosive. Duke is a very explosive football player,” Foster said on Clark. “Go watch the Texas game. You got a small sample size of what Duke is about and what Duke can do, and so I’m excited about opportunity to help him grow and help him reach his goals and help this team be successful.
The Gators also retained rising redshirt freshman Bryon Louis, who appeared in just one game last season.
“Byron, of course, with the redshirt, kind of watching practice film, I’m seeing a hard-nosed physical type player, but I’m really excited. And both of them are very eager to get better,” Foster said.
Like every position group, snap shares and rotations will be determined on the practice field.
“We don’t have a depth chart, we got a rep chart. They gotta earn it,” Foster said. “Just because you come in, don’t mean that you’ll be given anything. And they know that. They know every rep, every opportunity, is earned. And so right now, we’ll just kind of see how the spring goes. That’s what the spring is for. Just kind of see where we at. It’s only one guy that’s played significant snaps in the SEC.”
Florida is set to start spring camp on March 3rd.