Tag: new coaching hires

Florida promotes from within for new tight ends coach

Billy Napier didn’t have to look far when deciding who would become the Gators’ new tight ends coach right before Spring practices started.

Billy Napier has decided to promote from within when it comes to naming a new tight ends coach.

Russ Callaway, a 35-year-old with college and NFL coaching experience, has been named the new Florida Gators Tight Ends coach ahead of spring practices. Callaway was already on the staff, having joined the Gators ahead of the 2022 season in an off-field role.

Former tight ends coach William Peagler left the program in late February to join the Arizona Cardinals coaching staff in the NFL. Along with Peagler, defensive coordinator Patrick Toney also left to join the Cardinals, while wide receivers coach Keary Colbert left to join the Denver Broncos staff. All three left before the start of spring practices. Austin Armstrong took over as defensive coordinator, while Billy Gonzales rejoined the Orange and Blue as its wide receivers coach.

Callaway has an extensive resume that includes stops with other top college programs like LSU and Alabama. He also spent time in the NFL with the New York Giants and briefly worked at FCS program Samford, where he spent time as their offensive coordinator. In 2016, his Samford offense finished third among all FCS teams in passing offense, averaging over 345 yards per game.

His promotion signals Napier is open to giving young coaches who have cut their teeth in off-field roles opportunities to make a name for themselves. No program wants to lose assistants so close to spring practices, but if they are going to go anywhere, it’s a good sign that they’re leaving for the professional ranks.

Napier has decided to bet on a guy he brought in last season. Let’s see if Callaway proves to be the answer Florida has been searching for since [autotag]Kyle Pitts[/autotag] left for the Atlanta Falcons.

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Florida expected to bring in new DC from Alabama

After losing Patrick Toney to the NFL, Florida has likely found its new defensive coordinator, former Southern Miss DC Austin Armstrong.

Florida is expected to bring in Alabama inside linebackers coach Austin Armstrong as the replacement for former defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, who recently accepted a job with the Arizona Cardinals, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz.

Armstrong never really got settled in his new role with the Crimson Tide after officially joining the program just nine days ago. Nick Saban brought him in after an impressive run as the defensive coordinator for Southern Miss for the past two years. The Golden Eagles ranked third nationally in tackles for loss and were fifth in sacks last season. Perhaps even more impressive, Armstrong was the youngest defensive coordinator in FBS when he was hired.

While Napier can’t officially comment on the hire until it’s public, he did speak in general terms with Gators Online on Wednesday.

“You know, one of the things we’ve been able to do is hire good people, and hopefully we can continue that trend,” Napier said. “I think if you looked at who’s worked for us in the past, they’re spread out and they’re all over. So, this is another example.”

Armstrong and head coach Billy Napier have some history together. He worked under Napier in 2018 and 2020 at Louisiana-Lafayette. He also has some knowledge on how Florida’s biggest foe operates after spending a season working under Kirby Smart at Georgia in 2019.

It’s safe to say that Armstrong is a rising star in the college football coaching ranks, but he’ll be put under a spotlight now that he’s at Florida. The Gators can’t afford to regress on defense next year. At least, Napier said that the new hire should be in town before the start of spring camp.

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Gators adding former Auburn OC to staff as analyst

Billy Napier added an analyst with experience as an offensive coordinator in the SEC to his staff on Sunday.

Billy Napier added former Auburn offensive coordinator [autotag]Eric Kiesau[/autotag] to his staff on Sunday, according to Matt Zenitz of On3.

Kiesau will serve as an analyst for Napier’s Florida Gators. He spent the last two years working his way up from analyst to offensive coordinator with the Tigers but was fired along with several other staff members (including head coach Bryan Harsin) on Halloween. Napier is familiar with Kiesau from their time coaching at Alabama together in 2015 and obviously still sees value in him in a more minor position.

It’s too soon to tell how large of a role Kiesau will play, but he does have extensive experience calling plays for Boise State, Colorado, Fresno State and Washington in addition to Auburn. Napier was criticized at times during his first year for mismanaging time and playcalling, so Kiesau could help out there.

He’s also specialized in coaching quarterbacks in the past, so Kiesau could work with what is essentially a clean slate in the quarterbacks room. Wisconsin transfer [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] is just getting settled in Gainesville, and [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] has spent just a few weeks practicing as Florida’s starter after recovering from a thumb injury and taking over for [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag].

It is worth noting that Auburn’s passing game didn’t thrive while Kiesau was there. Instead, it was the rushing attack that led the way, and Florida has a solid foundation on the ground. Both [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] return after serving as one of the best backfield tandems in the game last year.

Kiesau certainly has a lot of talent to work with in Gainesville and is familiar with what it takes to win in the SEC.

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