Tag: Coaches

Florida makes new strength and conditioning hire official

After reports of Florida hiring a new strength and conditioning coach surfaced a week ago, the Gators made things official on Saturday.

Initial reports of Florida hiring New York Giants director of strength and performance [autotag]Craig Fitzgerald[/autotag] came in a week ago, but the Gators are just now making the move official.

“I’m extremely excited to join coach Napier and his staff, and to be part of Gator Nation,” Fitzgerald said in a press release from the UAA. “I look forward to being part of such a storied program and can’t wait to get to work.”

Napier praised Fitzgerald for his work over 25 years at the collegiate and professional levels. Fitzgerald has experience in the SEC and in the NFL, which should help prepare players for the next level.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Craig and his family — his wife, Mary, and sons, Mac, Joe and Luke, to Gainesville and to the UF community,” Napier said. “We’re very excited to add Coach Fitz to our team. He brings a significant level of experience in both college and the NFL. He will help each player on our team reach their potential. His reputation precedes itself and we are excited about the leadership he will bring and the impact he will have on our entire organization.”

Fitzgerald is leaving the New York Giants after four seasons for Florida. Before that, he was at Tennessee and with the Houston Texans. He also made stops at Harvard, Penn State and South Carolina when Steve Spurrier was the head coach.

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Chris Jones defends Chiefs’ coaching staff amid recent criticism

#Chiefs DL Chris Jones defended Kansas City’s coaching staff after the criticism the team faced after its Week 16 loss to the #Raiders.

The Kansas City Chiefs are seeking a solid bounce-back performance against the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday. The Christmas debacle at Arrowhead Stadium has forced the team to reevaluate their discipline regarding playmaking as they can’t afford any more mistakes heading into the postseason.

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones has heard all the commotion regarding criticism of the coaching staff lately. During his Wednesday press conference, he addressed his thoughts about wanting accountability among the players.

“I think we got to hold ourselves (accountable); the coaches can only do so much. The coaches can only call plays. We have to execute,” said Jones. “The coaches can only call plays right, and we gotta go out there and execute at a high ability as players, so I think more so taking accountability for yourself. Players have to hold each other accountable.”

The Chiefs have suffered through miscues throughout the season and notably had two turnovers in Monday’s loss to the Raiders. Players understand they will be under pressure to get a win in the regular season home finale.

Florida set to bring in new strength and conditioning coach from NFL

Billy Napier has landed on an assistant from the New York Giants to head the Gators’ strength and conditioning department next year.

Florida football is set to bring in New York Giants director of strength and performance [autotag]Craig Fitzgerald[/autotag] to replace Mark Hocke as the head of the team’s strength and conditioning program, according to Swamp247’s Jacob Rudner.

Head coach Billy Napier mentioned that he expected a change of leadership in that department on Wednesday, adding that Hocke would transition into a coaching role. Fitzgerald has over 25 years of coaching experience, working with elite college programs in the past — most notably with former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier at South Carolina from 2009-2011.

Fitzgerald recently coached in the SEC, spending two years at the University of Tennessee as the director of football sports performance. He’s also worked at Arizona State, Catholic, Harvard, Maryland and Penn State. Before UT, he was the head strength and conditioning coach of the Houston Texans.

Most players who come to the SEC are looking to get to the NFL, and having a strength and conditioning coach who’s already been through two stints in the pros is a valuable asset.

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Florida announces hiring of DL coach Gerald Chatman

After a few weeks of searching, the Florida Gators have landed on Tulane’s Gerald Chatman as the new defensive line coach

Former Tulane defensive line coach [autotag]Greg Chatman[/autotag] is headed to Gainesville to serve in the same role under Billy Napier and Austin Armstrong at the University of Florida.

Chatman led the Green Wave’s defensive line to an elite 2023 season. Tulane finished the year ranked eighth in the country in rush defense (93.5 yards per game), fourth in turnovers gained (25) and tied for 22nd in sacks (34).

“My family and I are excited to join the University of Florida,” Chatman said in a press release. “I look forward to relentlessly working with coach Napier, the staff, and players to uphold the standard of the historic Gators football program. I embrace the challenge.”

Florida’s front seven looked strong through the first five games of the 2023 campaign, but the wheels started to fall off as injuries mounted and the season continued.

That’s why Sean Spencer was fired and Chatman was hired. The Gators can’t afford another poor defensive year, and Chatman has done wonders recently with less talent.

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Florida parting ways with two key defensive coaches, per reports

The Florida Gators are parting ways with two defensive coaches after two losing seasons in Gainesville under Billy Napier.

The Florida Gators are saying goodbye to secondary coach Corey Raymond and defensive line coach Sean Spencer. Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel reported the news first.

Although Florida lost defensive coordinator Patrick Toney last year, these are the first major changes made by the program since Billy Napier took over.

Raymond was viewed as a big hire when he joined Napier’s staff thanks to the steady stream of NFL defensive backs he coached while at LSU. He never found that success at Florida, though. The Gators finished the season with just three interceptions this year — Raymond coached both the cornerbacks and safeties.

Spencer saw plenty of success on the recruiting trail, but Florida’s pass rush never lived up to expectations under a former NFL defensive line coach. Coach Chaos, as Spencer is known, also held a co-defensive coordinator title.

Significant changes are expected this offseason at Florida. Consider this just the first step. Replacing Raymond and Spencer won’t be easy but it was deemed a necessary step by Napier for Florida to improve.

All eyes will be on the top-ranked players in Florida’s fourth-ranked recruiting class moving forward. Five-tar safety Xavier Filsaime and five-star defensive lineman LJ McCray are the two most important pieces affected by this news.

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Notre Dame assistant a possibility for Syracuse head coach opening?

A Notre Dame assistant coach is rumored to be in the running for the Syracuse opening. Here is what he said about that possibility Monday.

The college football coaching carousel is starting to really get moving.  Although the regular season didn’t see many coaches lose jobs early on, the firings have become more regular in recent days.

One job that will be open in a matter of days is the Syracuse football head coach job.  Dino Babers has held that post since 2016 and has finished with a winning record just twice during his run.

The 5-6 Orange will be moving on from him following their regular season finale against Wake Forest on Saturday.  Could the opening be one that pulls a prominent Notre Dame assistant coach away from South Bend?

Defensive coordinator Al Golden has had success on the east coast, specifically at Temple, where he put life into what had been a dead program.  Success there led him to getting the Miami job starting in 2011.  Could Golden be headed back to the ACC?

He was asked about it Monday by Tyler Horka of Blue-Gold Illustrated.  Here is what Golden said:

If you’re looking for a hard no, that response certainly doesn’t give it.

I have no idea if Golden is going to get offered the job, if he’s seriously interested in it, or what is going to happen.

What I do know is that when you have success as a unit then services are wanted by other programs.  I do appreciate Golden not coming out in full denial and then leaving a few weeks down the road, although I wouldn’t be surprised if he did ultimately go.

Eagles’ linebacker Nakobe Dean expected to land on injured reserve with a foot injury

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a Lisfranc sprain and the 2nd-year defender will likely go on injured reserve according to Mike Garafalo

The Eagles are set to be without second-year linebacker Nakobe Dean for an extended period after the former Georgia All-American suffered a Lisfranc sprain.

It’s the second time Dean will miss an extended period of action after he suffered a foot injury against New England that placed him on injured reserve for four weeks.

Dean, 22, started on Sunday afternoon and has been a part of a three-man rotation with Nicholas Morrow and Zach Cunningham.

After not missing a game with an injury in college, Dean has struggled to stay on the field this season, his first as an NFL starter, and he’s been a critical figure in the success of Sean Desai’s defense.

According to PFF, Dean has 26 tackles, 11 stops, and one sack, with an 80.2 grade against the run.

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Multiple former Alabama stars rank among top 25 players in the NFL under the age of 25

Alabama football continues to produce the best young talent in the NFL as voted by coaches and executives

The National Football League is more talented than it has ever been with players quickly establishing themselves as elite-level players before even turning 25. Part of that is because college development has never been better with programs like the Alabama Crimson Tide pumping out three to four first-round prospects every single year at the age of 21.

According to the Athletic, seven front-office executives and five NFL coaches came together to vote on the Top 25 players in the NFL under the age of 25, and former Crimson Tide players dominated the list (Subscription required). Broncos‘ Patrick Surtain II was voted No. 4, Jets‘ Quinnen Williams No. 7, Eagles‘ Jalen Hurts No. 8, Dolphins‘ Jaylen Waddle No. 11, Raiders‘ Josh Jacobs No. 17, Eagles’ DeVonta Smith No. 18 and Cowboys‘ Trevon Diggs No. 24.

If you look at essentially any roster in the NFL, you are more than likely going to find at least one former Alabama player who is a core piece of that franchise. The things Nick Saban has been able to do for his collegiate players are something we will never see again in our lifetime. In fact, this list will probably grow next year as Bryce Young, Will Anderson Jr. and Jahmyr Gibbs are without a doubt three of the most exciting young players in this past draft.

People used to think that Nick Saban and the Alabama program worked you so hard in college that the juice was gone by the time they got to the NFL, now they are without a doubt the best program at producing NFL talent. For example, the list doesn’t even include Jerry Jeudy who has been the lone bright spot on an anemic Denver offense or Landon Dickerson who was a Pro Bowler for Philadelphia in 2022.

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Top quotes from Chiefs August 16 post-practice press conference

Check out all of the best quotes from the #Chiefs’ August 16 post-practice press conference:

The Kansas City Chiefs conducted their penultimate practice session in St. Joseph on Wednesday ahead of their preseason Week 2 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend. Workouts at training camp have provided the Chiefs’ coaches and front office personnel with valuable insight about every prospect on Kansas City’s 90-man roster.

Instead of having their players talk to the media after Wednesday’s practice session, the Chiefs turned the microphone over to these often-overlooked members of their staff to inform the media about what they’ve learned after weeks of preparation for the 2023 season.

Check out their top quotes below:

Where does Billy Napier rank among SEC coaches?

At the end of the day, wins get you ranked higher on a list like this. Florida’s 6-7 record in Year 1 under Billy Napier wasn’t enough to move him up the totem pole.

Billy Napier’s first year at the University of Florida didn’t produce the kind of results any Gators fans wanted to see, and he enters Year 2 a spot lower at No. 11 on USA TODAY Sports‘ SEC football coach rankings heading into the 2023 season.

There’s reason to believe that things will turn around now that Napier has a team full of players he recruited to the school, but the Gators aren’t getting much love from the national media.

“Napier’s Louisiana tenure took off in his second season,” Blake Toppmeyer wrote for USA TODAY. “If he’s primed Florida for a similar Year 2 ascent, he’s done a good job of hiding it. Napier inherited a program thinner on talent and depth than it should be, and deficiencies remain. Napier’s biggest issue: He hasn’t developed or attracted a quarterback to Florida’s standard.”

Toppmeyer suggests that all Napier needs to do is win enough games to avoid getting fired after just two seasons on the job. While it may sound a bit ridiculous to fire a man who hasn’t had adequate time to fix the problems he didn’t create, it’s the reality of the SEC right now.

At the top of the list, of course, are Nick Saban and Kirby White, but perhaps not in the order you might expect. Georgia‘s head coach has taken over the No. 1 position, moving the Alabama legend down to the No. 2 spot. Brian Kelly (LSU), Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss) and Josh Heupel (Tennessee) round out the top five.

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