Tag: Jamar Chaney

Gators losing key defensive analyst to Western Kentucky

Florida is losing a key member of its recruiting staff as defensive analyst Jamar Chaney departs for an on-the-field role at Western Kentucky.

After losing a few coaches from the staff a week ago, the Florida Gators received some more bad news on Tuesday. Defensive analyst [autotag]Jamar Chaney[/autotag] is leaving the program for an assistant coaching role with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz.

Chaney was a major player for the Gators in the recruiting world, and losing him will likely hurt the team’s standing with a few top targets. He helped bring in safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] and was a factor for several members of the class of 2023.

This will be Chaney’s first season with an on-the-field title after serving as an analyst for Florida and Mississippi State before that. This was his second stint with the Gators after spending the 2019 season as Dan Mullen’s assistant director of player personnel.

Chaney was an All-SEC linebacker for Mississippi State in 2007 and selected in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He lasted until 2014 in the league and then began his coaching career at his alma mater, St. Lucie West Centennial high school.

It might take some time to see the impact of losing Chaney, but he was a key member of Florida’s recruiting staff. Napier will need to replace him with another strong recruiter, which won’t be easy this late in the offseason.

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Gators getting this 2025 EDGE on campus this weekend

The Gators are hosting this promising young prospect this weekend.

Things are starting to heat up in Gainesville and it is not entirely due to the changing of the seasons. Rather, the month of March represents a return to the college football recruiting grind as [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and the Gators get set to host a flurry of talented young prospects on campus now that the dead period has expired.

One of several high school prospects set to visit the Swamp on the opening weekend according to Swamp247 is Highland Home (Alabama) edge rusher [autotag]JaKaleb Faulk[/autotag], who will be making his third visit to Hogtown this time around. The 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pound defensive lineman received an offer from the Gators last summer while on campus with his older brother [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] for his official visit and followed up with a game-day visit in November.

Outside linebackers coach [autotag]Mike Peterson[/autotag] and off-field assistant [autotag]Jamar Chaney[/autotag] have the most time into Faulk’s recruitment, with former defensive coordinator [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] also involved before his departure to the NFL.

The high school sophomore already made a stop with the Auburn Tigers on Wednesday to open up his spring visit schedule, with the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers also on his itinerary.

Neither 247Sports nor On3 currently have ratings or rankings for Faulk. However, On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has Florida out front for his talents with a 35.6% chance of signing him. The Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels follow behind at 21.1%, 9.5% and 7.9%, respectively.

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Florida to host 4-star EDGE after extending offer

After extending an offer to four-star edge rusher Jamonta Waller, Florida is planning to host him once the dead period is lifted.

Florida offered four-star Picayune Memorial (Mississippi) edge rusher [autotag]Jamonta Waller[/autotag] on Thursday, according to a social media post he sent out in the afternoon.

Waller spoke with defensive analyst [autotag]Jamar Chaney[/autotag] and outside linebackers coach Mike Peterson before picking up the offer. He’d been talking with the program for a while and felt like the offer was coming, according to 247Sports.

“It’s something that had been kind of building up,” Waller said. “I have a good relationship with Coach Jamar and I just got the opportunity to talk with Coach Peterson today. We chopped it up on the phone and he was the one who actually offered me.”

It’s not the first SEC offer Waller has earned by a long shot, though. Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M have submitted bids for him, and LSU offered on the same day Florida did. That’s 11 of the 14 programs in the conference, so it’s safe to say Billy Napier and Co. will be scheming either for or against him in the future.

The good news is that it should not take long for Waller to get to Gainesville for his first visit.

“I am looking forward to getting over there on March 11,” he said. “When I go, I want to have an opportunity to get on the field and somewhere that has good coaches who can develop me into a great football player and a great young man. I just wanna see if it feels like home.”

Waller’s schedule is busy in the spring. He’s giving teams a look before taking official visits in the summer, and programs like Florida need to wow him to earn one of five slots. Waller says the Gators “are up at the top,” but that doesn’t guarantee anything.

The 247Sports composite has Waller at No. 206 overall and No. 15 among edge rushers in the class of 2024. The site’s independent rankings have him just inside the top 200 at No. 199 and No. 12 among those at his position. On3 has yet to grade Waller as a recruit, and Rivals has him at Nos. 184 and 10, respectively.

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Florida football makes final four for coveted 2025 linebacker

The Gators made the cut for this big-time linebacker out of Georgia.

Florida football continues to churn away at the recruiting grindstone as the focus turns from the 2023 cycle to 2024 and beyond. The latest news from the prep prospect ranks comes from the class of 2025, in which the Gators are among the top four schools in contention for the young student-athlete’s services.

Linebacker [autotag]Mantrez Walker[/autotag] out of Buford (Georgia) recently released his top teams, telling On3’s Chad Simmons, “All have recruited me hard since my sophomore year started.” Those programs are Florida, the Michigan Wolverines, Penn State Nittany Lions and LSU Tigers. He has visited all of them except for LSU so far.

The 5-foot-11-inch, 215-pound defender visited Gainesville last summer, which went quite well in his own words.

“I was at Florida back in the summer and I had a great time. I love the vision coach Napier has for the program. Coach Napier is the coach that can get Florida back to the top.”

Beyond the Gators’ head coach, inside linebackers coach [autotag]Jay Bateman[/autotag] and defensive analyst [autotag]Jamar Chaney[/autotag] have also led the way in the high school sophomore’s recruitment.

Walker has yet to receive any ratings or rankings from 247Sports, On3 or Rivals. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine currently has the South Carolina Gamecocks out front for his talents with a 22.7% chance of landing him, followed by the Arkansas Razorbacks, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Virginia Tech Hokies at 19.8%, 8.9% and 7.4% respectively. Rivals’ FutureCast commitment forecast gives Michigan a 100% chance of landing him.

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Gators in the lead for top 2024 LB prospect, per On3

The Gators are out front for this 2024 linebacker.

After coming in the top 12 of the 2023 On3 recruiting class rankings, [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is pushing forward toward the 2024 recruiting class. [autotag]Adarius Hayes[/autotag], the No. 6 linebacker in the 2024 class per On3, still has the Gators as the frontrunner in his recruitment.

The 6-foot-4-inch, 210-pound linebacker took the trip to Gainesville with multiple family members — always a good sign in a player’s recruitment. When speaking to Gators Online, Hayes talked about spending time with inside linebackers coach [autotag]Jay Bateman[/autotag], defensive analyst [autotag]Jamar Chaney[/autotag] and Napier.

In his meetings, Hayes mentioned how they broke down film and told him that they see him as a middle linebacker who would rush the passer off the edge in third-down situations, something he enjoys doing. He also compared his play style to [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag], who was the focal point of the Gators’ defense in 2022.

With the recruiting dead period coming up in February, Hayes says he will take advantage of the final weekend in the contact period. He will be in Gainesville one more time this weekend. When asked where Florida stands in his recruitment, he told Gators Online that Florida was his “dream school”.

Hopefully, Napier and his staff can land one of the top in-state talents when he announces his commitment in the summer.

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2024 top-100 recruit enjoys first participating in Friday Night Lights

Getting a chance to work hands-on with the Florida coaching staff could help the Gators’ chances at landing 4-star defensive back Jaylen Lawrence.

The Florida Gators coaching staff got a chance to work with plenty of the top recruits in the class of 2024 at the team’s Friday Night Lights camp, and one of the more prominent names to stop by the Swamp was four-star safety [autotag]Jaylen Heyward[/autotag].

The Gators offered Heyward a scholarship following his first unofficial visit to the school in March, but a big part of his decision will be which coaching staff he believes can develop him the best and prepare him for a hopeful NFL career. Heyward received the coaching he desired on Friday, according to his interview with 247Sports, and it almost had him staying in town an extra day.

“They (Florida) showed me a good time,” Heyward said. “I wanted to stay for the cookout but I had to go to FSU the next day. A big part of my visit there was camping at Friday Night Lights. It was good to see what Coach PT ([autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag]) and Coach (Corey) Raymond had to show me in just the little bit of time I had with them.”

Toney has been Heyward’s main contact at UF but defensive analyst [autotag]Jamar Chaney[/autotag] and tight ends coach [autotag]William Peagler[/autotag] are also helping recruit him. Those efforts are paying off, and Billy Napier‘s obvious mission to keep the best in the state of Florida at home sits well with Heyward.

“I love the way they are recruiting me. I feel like the last staff didn’t do a good job recruiting in-state, but the way Coach Napier is recruiting everything now, he wants to make sure everyone stays home at Florida. I think he’s doing an amazing job with that and I like it. He’s trying to bring the culture back to The Swamp.”

Heyward cut his list down to 12 schools back in June and a few are beginning to separate themselves from the pack. Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee and UCF have done well so far, but he says the real test will be who reaches out on September 1 when coaches can contact him. He hopes to make his decision by next summer.

Heyward is ranked No. 44 in the class of 2024 on the 247Sports composite and is No. 5 among safeties in the class. He’s being recruited as a defensive back and worked on the outside more during FNL, so he could become a cornerback for UF if he chooses to commit.

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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 OL commit content with Gators, shuts down recruitment

Florida picked up a commitment from IMG Academy offensive lineman Knijeah Harris back in May and he’s 100% locked in.

Despite what many might expect, the recruiting process rarely ends for high-profile targets once they’ve committed. Once a letter of intent is signed is typically when the university and coaches can take a breath of relief, but Florida offensive line commit [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] isn’t interested in dragging out the process.

Speaking with On3’s Jeremy Johnson, Harris indicated that he’s fully bought in with the Gators and has no plans to test the waters, so to speak. That’s very good news for Florida after missing out on five-star tackle [autotag]Francis Mauigoa[/autotag] to Miami and four-star tackle Lucas Simmons to Florida State. As [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] looks to fill out his offensive line, he can rest assured that Harris will be a part of it.

“Everything is perfect at Florida from the coaches to the campus to the facilities,” Harris said. “Coach Napier’s the man with the plan. You talk with him, you sit down with him, you see how detailed he is and you see he has everything planned out.”

It’s not just Napier who convinced Harris that Gainesville is where he is supposed to be. Offensive coordinator [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag], offensive line coach [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag], running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] and defensive analyst [autotag]Jamar Chaney[/autotag] kept in regular contact with the IMG Academy recruit until he committed and beyond.

As Florida continues putting together its recruiting class for 2023, expect Harris to be one of the most vocal commits in the bunch. He loves being a Gator, and as he puts it, he’s “locked in” with the Orange and Blue.

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Coveted 4-star defensive lineman names Florida among top schools

Florida football makes the cut for yet another blue-chipper, this time it’s a defensive lineman out of nearby Kissimmee.

Florida football is one of the five programs at the forefront of four-star defensive lineman [autotag]John Walker[/autotag]’s recruitment, according to Swamp247Sports’ Andrew Ivins. As a native of Kissimmee, Florida, it’s no surprise that the Gators coaching staff is leaning heavily on Walker to link up with the Orange and Blue.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 310-pound prospect out of Osceola High clocks in near the end of the most recent update to 247Sports’ list of the top 100 recruits in the nation. The other teams at the front of the pack for Walker are Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, and UCF.

Mario Cristobal and the ‘Canes continue to be a thorn in the Gators’ side, but I find it much more interesting that the Big Ten is mixing it up in the Sunshine State. The SEC’s northern rival is known more so for a grinding, physical brand of football than the modern style that Walker brings to the table. However, the Buckeyes and Wolverines are just as much a name brand as the Gators, and they don’t maintain that status without an eye for talent. In sports, it’s adapt or die.

“[Walker] exhibits good foot and body quickness for his size, nimble athlete at 300-pounds plus. Shows the ability to bend and react at the point of attack. Displays heavy hands and plays with power, showing the ability to consistently penetrate behind the line of scrimmage. Can anchor the run, disrupt passing lanes and offer pass-rushing upside as an interior defender. Violent defender that plays with read and react recognition and consistently impacts the game,” reads recruiting expert Cooper Petagna’s scouting report.

Defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] is listed as the primary recruiter working on Walker, but he mentioned defensive assistant [autotag]Jamar Chaney[/autotag] first in his quote to 247Sports. One of the youngest members of this coaching staff, Chaney is a holdover from the previous regime and is constantly praised by recruits. He’s one of head coach Billy Napier’s secret weapons and it’s rewarding to see him get a shout-out.

Walker has re-set his commitment date for July 28 after initially setting October 22 as his target. That’s around the same time as a number of other major prospects. As the dominoes fall, the sense of how well or poorly this recruiting class turned out has the potential to change quickly and solidify for good.

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Gators continue to pursue this 4-star Michigan LB commit

Billy Napier and his coaching staff have this Michigan commit weighing all of his options right now.

The Michigan Wolverines earned four-star linebacker [autotag]Raylen Wilson[/autotag]’s commitment back in December, but that hasn’t stopped the North Florida recruit from seeing what other schools have to offer. Wilson made an official visit to Florida over the weekend and was at Georgia the week before, according to 247Sports. He says he’s still committed to UM, but there’s also room for schools to chip away at that commitment.

Wilson spent most of his time with inside linebackers coach [autotag]Jay Bateman[/autotag] and defensive analyst [autotag]Jamar Chaney[/autotag]. He complimented the staff in its entirety for being so genuine and making things feel like a family affair. The 6-foot-2-inch, 213-pounder is big on family, and Florida is a lot closer than Michigan. He plans to stop by a few more times before his senior year begins.

“This is my second visit, but I am definitely going to come up here a few more times before the season,” Wilson said. “For the cookout and then probably come up for one of their OTA’s they have in the week. We haven’t planned a date yet.”

With two elite programs in the Southeastern Conference chasing after him, Wilson plans on deciding whether or not he’s sticking with the Maize and Blue before the season. His parents will help him weigh all of his options and they’ll go from there.

Whoever gets him will be landing a stud. The 247Sports composite ranks Wilson as the No.74 overall prospect in the nation and No. 5 among linebackers.

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