The Florida Gators’ defense has been a bit of a disaster over the past couple of years, but [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is hoping to turn things around after bringing in experienced support staff to coach that side of the ball. One of the more important names on the new staff is cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag].
After 10 years with LSU, Raymond and the Tigers parted ways as Brian Kelly took over and chose not to retain him on the staff. Napier quickly jumped in and got one of the top position coaches in the country on his staff to start recruiting.
The decision paid off almost immediately as five-star safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] decided to sign with Florida over a top 4 of Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M.
“First time (in Gators colors) was different for me,” Raymond said to Gators Online. ” I went to college (at LSU), I’m from there, but that blue and orange is looking good on me. I’m in Florida. I recruited the state of Florida. It has a lot of talent. We have a chance to do special things here.”
Raymond produced 14 NFL defensive backs while at LSU, including three first-rounders. He knows what it takes to get the best at the college level ready for the pros, and he’s relentless in his efforts to get them there.
“It’s going to take a little time getting used to me, who I am,” he said. “Because I’m hard to get along with out there on the field. It’s demanding. You play a position that’s an easy place to line up, but there’s a lot of little things you have to do to be good at the position.”
Raymond sees plenty of potential in Florida’s current crop of cornerbacks. [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. has a chance to develop into an elite corner under Raymond’s guidance, and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] also have the potential to be great once fully returned from injury.
Florida’s new cornerbacks coach not only has the respect of the players but he’s revered by most everyone on the staff. Napier thinks highly of him as both a coach and a person, and he appreciates Raymond’s veteran presence on the side of the ball he’s less involved with.
Co-defensive coordinators [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] and [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] also appreciate having Raymond on the staff. Toney coaches the safeties on the team, but he’s also tasked with calling all of the Gators’ defensive plays. Having Raymond to help with the defensive backs is about as useful a tool as you could ask for.
“He’s like the Yoda of DB coaching,” Spencer said. “This guy has coached everybody. He talks in that room, just so confident. He has so much experience. He’s been around the league. He’s been multiple places.”
The early returns have been good on Napier’s investment in Raymond, but his legacy at UF will ultimately be determined by how his players perform during the season. If Florida is going to claim the title of “DBU” once again, Raymond will be the reason why.
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