Jon Sumrall finalizes staff with impressive hire whose resume could convince Jadan Baugh to return to the Gators
Jon Sumrall hired Chris Foster to be his running backs coach, and his sustained success across 22 seasons could help keep Jadan Baugh with the Florida Gators.
New Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall finalized his coaching staff by hiring Chris Foster as the running backs coach. He spent last season as the Duke Blue Devils running backs coach.
Sumrall made a bevy of hires on Sunday afternoon, the day after the Tulane Green Wave lost 41-10 to the Ole Miss Rebels in the College Football Playoff, but a running backs coach was not among those. With Jadan Baugh’s future in the balance, getting the coaching hire right was a major priority to prevent him from entering the transfer portal, and Sumrall found a talented coach.
Chris Foster has impressive track record as running backs coach
One of the more difficult aspects of the transfer portal is the movement of players and coaches. After the Gators fired head coach Billy Napier, Sumrall only kept defensive line coach Gerald Chatman from the staff.
Since then, quarterback DJ Lagway has led a multitude of Gators entering the transfer portal, and Baugh is reportedly considering it. He was close with Napier’s running backs coach, Jabbar Juluke, and he’s been linked to Texas for that reason.
Foster might be enough to convince Baugh to stay with his track record of development. Foster has done an excellent job during his career as a running backs coach; he’s held the position at multiple schools since 2004.
He was directly responsible for the success of Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell at East Carolina, including a 1,452-yard, 14-touchdown season. He also coached Matt Breida, who spent nearly a decade in the NFL, mostly with the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins.
Last season, Foster spent one season at Duke and did a great job elevating Nate Sheppard to one of the best running backs in the ACC. He ran for 962 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 178 carries. His wealth of experience would be invaluable to Baugh’s continued development.
Will this be enough for Baugh, along with an NIL deal, to stay in Gainesville? In theory, yes, but the world of college football is never-ending and always changing.
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