Florida Gators Stock Report: Baugh's Bullish, Wilson Takes a Dip

Following the win against Kentucky, let's see who's stocks are bullish and who's stocks are bearish on the Florida Gators

Following a win against Kentucky, it's time to check in on who's stocks are up and who's are down / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Florida Gators (4-3, 2-2 SEC) annihilate the Kentucky Wildcats 48-20 in The Swamp to snap a three-game losing streak. It's Billy Napier's first win against Kentucky as the head coach of Florida.

With that, it’s time for a stock report. We’ll take a look at six player stocks. Three are on the rise and three took a dive. 

Stock Up

Jadan Baugh, Running Back

Talk about the ultimate breakout game. Baugh rushed for 106 yards and scored five touchdowns. The potential has been there, and we got to see it in full force. 

Who needs Trevor Etienne when you have this guy? The freshman running back is proving to be a vital piece of this offense. With him being as young as he is, imagine what he could develop into.

Elijah Badger, Wide Receiver

Maybe Arizona State is becoming a pipeline for great wide receivers for the Gators. There was Ricky Pearsall, and now there is Elijah Badjer.

In the win over Kentucky, Badger had a career high 148 receiving yards in a game. He only needed three receptions. He didn't find the end zone, but averging nearly 50 yards per receptions is nothing short of ridiculous.

Gators Defense

Imagine if the defense had played this well against Miami or Texas A&M. We could be looking at a very different season for the Gators.

The Gatror's defense picked off Brock Vandagriff three times, including a pick six by Cormani McClain. If they keep showing improvement down the stretch, Florida might want to keep Austin Armstrong around regardless of who the head coach is in 2025.

This boost in performance couldn't have come a better time. The next game will be up in Jacksonville against Georgia. It's been a brutal time for the defense the last few years, so a strong performance would spell a breath of fresh air.

Stock Down

Eugene Wilson III, Wide Receiver

To be fair, it's more other guys stocks moved up than his stock went down. But with just one reception during a game in which the Gators put up 476 total yards and 48 points, it's not great. You'd expect him to have taken on a larger role than one catch for 40 yards.

It's a career low in receptions. Before that, his fewest was two in the loss to Utah in his first college game. His stock will rebound, but it took a hit by default this week.

Ja'Kobi Jackson, Running Back

This is despite the fact that Jackson racked up a season high 44 rushing yards. After seeing some explosive potential earlier this season, he hasn't looked as good against tougher defenses.

It was his second game without a touchdown after scoring one in three consecutive games. We know he can do more. He averaged 8.3 yards per carry against a tough UCF rush defense. It's about on par with Kentucky's. Sure, Baugh stole the show, but he had his good share of opportunities

Montrell Johnson Jr., Running Back

Is it unfair to pick a guy who didn't play? Maybe. But here this out. Unlike Mertz last week when his stock was down, Johnson's injury will play somewhat of a role here.

Johnson has never quite recaptured that same magic from his first season at Florida. He's still been solid, but when guys like Baugh have stellar nights like the one he had against Kentucky, it's going to impact that game plan with Johnson when he returns. They don't have to rely on him as much and therefore his significance in the game will decrease.

This could be wrong. But if the running game is electric without him, there's no reason to take carries away from the others just because he's back.