![Florida running back Jadan Baugh (13) runs during the second half of the Orange and Blue game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 11, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_315,w_1923,h_1081/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/213/01m1hnjyz9781xathb2v.jpg "Florida running back Jadan Baugh (13) runs during the second half of the Orange and Blue game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 11, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
lorida fans don’t need to be reminded of just how vanilla the offense was for the Gators over the past four years. The basic critique we had was that Florida’s offense always felt like it was just dudes running routes in isolation. Combined with running plays that a five-year-old could predict were coming, Florida’s offense never unlocked the talent it had on the roster.
The hope for Florida fans is that new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner can unlock the cache of talent the Gators have. But don’t take our word for it; take Jadan Baugh’s.
Florida looks to be more creative in 2026
Baugh met with media members on Tuesday, and he was asked about the differences between Faulkner’s offense and the offense he spent the last two years in. If Baugh’s descriptions are correct, this Saturday could bring a level of excitement Gator fans haven’t felt in years:
“Well, at first it was kind of challenging because, again, it was a new offense, a new scheme. We had to adjust to Coach Faulkner's mentality going into it. Honestly, I feel like now as we're deeper into the camp and getting closer to where we're at the season now, So it's honestly very exciting to see what's going to happen because he's very creative.”
Creativity was something the last regime didn’t have. As we chronicled throughout, it always felt like Florida was hell-bent on running the offense that its leader insisted he wanted to run because that’s what he’s always run. Not once did the power that be over the last four years stop and think, “Hey, wait, we have a ton of speed on this roster. Maybe we should lean into that.”
Instead, we were stuck with an offense that looked like it was from Ask Madden.
But for as much as Florida fans have dreams of Florida’s speed being unlocked, Baugh also made sure to remind everyone the Gators also have a physical side to them heading into 2026:
“Going into it with the mindset of just being tough, physical, relentless, and being a very scrappy team, regardless of how the outcome is or how much adversity we face, we're just going to go out there and give our best at all times.”
Florida opens its season this Saturday against FAU at 7:45.
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