Tag: Benedick Hyppolite

Florida’s assistant running backs coach takes job downstate with Hurricanes

Florida’s assistant running backs coach just took a job with the ‘Canes doing pretty much what he did for the Gators.

Billy Napier lost another member of his army of staffers on Tuesday with the departure of assistant running backs coach [autotag]Benedick Hyppolite[/autotag], who took a job with the Miami Hurricanes as an offensive analyst working specifically with the running back corps — much like he did in Gainesville last season.

Hyppolite’s burgeoning coaching career has already had three stops on the collegiate circuit, starting as the offensive coordinator at Florida Memorial University — and HBCU in South Florida — in 2019 before joining the Hurricanes’ staff as a graduate assistant in 2020. He then got his big break with the Gators under Napier last season assisting with Florida’s successful running backs room before moving back south for a similar role in Miami.

Last season, UF’s rushing attack was among the top in the nation for most of the season thanks in large part to his efforts off the field. Transfer [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] combined for 1,560 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, building the foundation of what should be a terrorizing ground attack for the Gators in years to come.

The departing analyst was no slouch on the recruiting trail either, shouldering a load in wooing four-star running backs [autotag]Treyaun Webb[/autotag] and [autotag]Chauncey Bowens[/autotag], while also stepping out of the backfield to assist in the recruitment of four-star wide receiver [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag].

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Gators to get recently offered WR on campus in late March

The end of the month is filling up with big-name visits.

We are a little more than halfway through March and Florida football’s recruiting efforts continue to roll along as the spring schedule continues to unfurl. [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. have been working hard at getting the top prep prospects on campus to see what the Swamp has to offer them, and recently, another big name added Gainesville to his itinerary.

Four-star wide receiver [autotag]Chance Robinson[/autotag] out of Fort Lauderdale (Florida) St. Thomas Aquinas recently told Gators Online that he plans to pay a visit with the Orange and Blue on March 25 — his first face-to-face meeting with the Gators since receiving an offer from former assistant coach [autotag]Keary Colbert[/autotag] back in January. He previously attended last year’s Orange and Blue Game.

Colbert had been spearheading the efforts to lure the high school junior to Florida before departing for the NFL, leaving running backs quality control coach [autotag]Benedick Hyppolite[/autotag] and assistant receivers coach [autotag]David Doeker[/autotag] in charge until the arrival of wide receivers coach [autotag]Billy Gonzalez[/autotag].

“It’s still good. Everyone from the staff is still reaching out to me. Coach Hyppolite is always working with the receivers and reaching out to me. He’s also a South Florida guy,” Robinson told Gators Online.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound pass-catcher has been considering official visits to see the Georgia Bulldogs, Auburn Tigers and Penn State Nittany Lions while also receiving offers from the Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Miami Hurricanes, LSU Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers and South Carolina Gamecocks, among others.

Robinson is ranked No. 107 overall and No. 19 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 92 and 17, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine currently has the Florida State Seminoles ahead of the pack for his talents with a 37.8% chance of landing him, while the Hurricanes, Gators and Nittany Lions trail behind at 22.4%, 10.1% and 8.4%, respectively.

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4 Florida football staffers land on On3’s list of ‘rising stars’

By all accounts, the Gators have a slam-dunk coaching staff on and off the field.

Monday morning, On3 revealed their list of 65 “rising stars” across all the support staffs in college football. They included four staffers from Billy Napier’s off-field army: offensive analysts [autotag]Russ Calloway[/autotag] and [autotag]Benedick Hyppolite[/autotag], linebackers assistant [autotag]Jamar Chaney[/autotag] and quarterbacks assistant [autotag]Ryan O’Hara[/autotag].

Calloway was brought in by Florida alongside offensive coordinator [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] after both were let go by the New York Giants during their coaching purge. Before going to NFL, he was instrumental in Samford’s surge to the top of the FCS passing leaderboard.

Hyppolite has deep roots in the state of Florida. He spent the past two seasons assisting with the wide receivers at Miami, and before that, spent several seasons as a high school coach in South Florida. He’s assigned to the running backs and his connections in-state are valuable for a staff whose key recruiters largely have ties in the bayou.

It’s tough to tell from the outside looking in, but if I had to guess, Chaney would be who I’d point to as Florida’s most trusted off-field staffer. He’s a rare holdover from the previous administration, but never lost the trust of the boys on the team. He’s often assigned to run point on initial contacts with defensive recruits and his name is routinely put next to Mike Peterson’s and Sean Spencer’s in recruiting rumor roundups.

Finally, O’Hara was the Ragin’ Cajuns’ quarterbacks coach under Napier before joining him in Florida under the same role. Technically, Napier was and is listed as the quarterbacks coach, a role consolidation that allowed him to hire two full time offensive line coaches. However, it’s really O’Hara who takes the bulk of those responsibilities, helping Levi Levis become the best quarterback in Cajuns’ history.

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Florida rising in this 4-star wide receiver’s recruitment

Florida is becoming a significant player for four-star wide receiver Hykeem Williams’ pledge.

Florida, head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and wide receivers coach [autotag]Keary Colbert[/autotag] are trying to add some playmakers at wideout in the 2023 recruiting cycle after former head coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] struggled to recruit some to his roster. One name that the Gators would love to add is four-star wide receiver [autotag]Hykeem Williams[/autotag]. He hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is ranked as the 39th best player overall and as the sixth-best receiver, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Williams didn’t consider Florida highly before Napier and Co. took over the program but has now made two visits over the last two months. He returned to the Swamp for the Orange and Blue game Thursday after his first visit in March.

He said he most enjoyed the time he spent around Colbert and off-the-field analyst [autotag]Benedick Hyppolite[/autotag]. Williams bonded well with Hyppolite because of his extensive ties to South Florida. He also recruited Williams while he was on staff with the Miami Hurricanes.

After his latest visit to Florida, he said the school has become a player for his pledge.

“They actually moved up,” Williams said, according to 247Sports. “I like Florida. This is my first time really getting to see them in action. They got a good spot on my list now.”

The Gators are one of his top schools along with Texas A&M, Georgia, Alabama, Pittsburgh and Florida State. Williams also plans to start using some of his official visits this summer.

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