Most Gators fans know that Florida will have a new man running the defense this season in Austin Armstrong, but Billy Napier has made eight more additions to his staff over the offseason, according to Gators Online.
Armstrong was already transitioning to the SEC as a new member of Alabama’s defensive staff when Napier came knocking. He couldn’t turn down an SEC coordinator gig under a head coach he’s familiar with — Armstrong and Napier worked together in Louisana.
Napier didn’t bring in any newcomers to fill the three position coaching spots that opened following staff departures to the NFL. He promoted cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond to defensive backs coach, elevated Russ Callaway to the tight ends coach spot and rehired former Florida wide receivers coach Billy Gonzelez.
The bulk of the eight first-year staff members are in quality control roles and are assigned to a position group. Eric Kiesau oversees the offense while Blake Shrader covers the defense. As far as position-specific assignments, Allen Brown has defensive backs, Kaleb Johnson has offensive linemen, Chad Lucas has wide receivers and Justin Posthuma has tight ends.
Napier also brought in Tyler Miles as the new director of player athletic development and John Donovan as a senior offensive analyst. Donovan did the same job for the Green Bay Packers a season ago, while Miles was an assistant director of sports performance at Duke.
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