Tag: Will Harris

Blue-chip Alabama DB commit talks Florida’s new coach after official visit

According to this blue-chip 2024 recruit, the Gators got a good one in new hire Will Harris.

Florida’s football program recently replaced outgoing defensive secondary coach Corey Raymond with former Los Angeles Chargers assistant secondary coach [autotag]Will Harris[/autotag] on Sunday. So far, it looks like the new member of the Orange and Blue has not slowed things down.

This past weekend, four-star Alabama Crimson Tide cornerback commit [autotag]Jameer Grimsley[/autotag] out of Tampa (Florida) Catholic made a stop in Gainesville. The 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound defensive back shared thoughts on his official visit with the Gators.

“I liked it,” Grimsley told Swamp247. “Good experience. Got to hang out with the players, experience school of the University of Florida and how things run up here, hang out more with the coaches.”

As far as the new hire, Grimsley appears to be warming up to the idea of Harris running things on D.

“Looking forward, they just got a new DB coach, Will Harris. They just hired him. Have to meet with him. We’ll see how things go from there. Meeting with the players, the defensive coordinator. I was hanging out with him a lot. When the DC wants you, that is good. He has a final say on defense.”

However, there is still a lot to learn about the new hire before spending face time with him.

“They were telling me he played for Pete Carroll. He was coaching in the NFL, so he must know a little something. I don’t really know too much about him. That is why I am looking forward to meeting with him.”

Napier and Co. have been in pursuit of Grimsley’s talents this fall, pushing hard back in October while making another strong stab for the blue-chip defender in November. The former coach made significant inroads with the high school senior before his departure, which Florida is still benefitting from.

“Although Coach Raymond was recruiting me, but they had offered me first as a receiver, so it wasn’t him that was necessarily recruiting me the whole time at the end of the day. Coach Napier was really the one.

“Obviously, C-Ray wanted me there, but he was the one who offers the kids. He makes all the offers. They can’t offer anyone else he verifies it with them. Everyone else one the staff wanted me he, it was just Coach Raymond, even though he was recruiting me.

“That kind of made me feel a little more comfortable about the situation. There are schools that have the position coach, and they are the one that lets them handle everything. I know the staff was involved in recruiting me here.”

Grimsely is ranked No. 166 overall and No. 17 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 169 and 22, respectively.

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Florida football welcomes former Los Angeles Chargers assistant

What was basically an open secret was finally revealed on Sunday when Will Harris took the Gators’ job offer.

Florida’s football program appears to have found its newest secondary coach in former Los Angeles Chargers assistant secondary coach [autotag]Will Harris[/autotag], according to On3 on Sunday.

Harris and UF head coach Billy Napier conducted a Zoom on Dec. 5 as the latter sought a replacement for Corey Raymond, who was a well-respected secondary coach but simply did not leave enough on the field this fall.

Harris initially made his mark with the Washington Huskies, with whom he helped develop several athletes who went on to play in the NFL, including corners Trent McDuffie, Kyler Gordon, Elijah Molden, Byron Murphy Jr. and Myles Bryant and safety Taylor Rapp. Prior to that, he had stints with Northwestern Oklahoma State (2013) followed by Humboldt State (2014) and Dixie College (2015).

The up-and-coming coach got his first taste of FBS experience on the San Jose State Spartans staff for two years before moving on to Seattle. After U-Dub, he took his first defensive coordinator job in 2022 when he joined the Georgia Southern Eagles.

His season with the Chargers this year is his first and only in the NFL. Harris’ return to the college ranks will likely benefit him as Harris has seen a lion’s share of success with the amateurs.

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Gators eyeing Los Angeles Chargers’ assistant secondary coach

The Gators are checking in on this fast-rising defensive coach to replace one of the departures.

Florida’s football program has a pair of vacancies that must be filled quickly in order to return to full strength not just on the sidelines and locker room, but on the recruiting trail as well. According to reports, the Gators have been eyeing one current NFL coach to bring into the fold.

Los Angeles Chargers assistant secondary coach [autotag]Will Harris[/autotag] is a “person of interest” according to both Swamp247 and On3 on Tuesday morning. Harris and UF head coach Billy Napier conducted a Zoom meeting early in the day as the latter seeks a replacement for Corey Raymond, who was a well-respected secondary coach but simply did not leave enough on the field this fall.

No further details were provided other than the possibility of the 36-year-old joining the Orange and Blue.

Harris initially made his mark with the Washington Huskies, with whom he helped develop several athletes who went on to play in the NFL, including corners Trent McDuffie, Kyler Gordon, Elijah Molden, Byron Murphy Jr. and Myles Bryant and safety Taylor Rapp. Prior to that, he had stints with Northwestern Oklahoma State (2013) followed by Humboldt State (2014) and Dixie College (2015).

The up-and-coming coach got his first taste of FBS experience on the San Jose State Spartans staff for two years before moving on to Seattle. After U-Dub, he took his first defensive coordinator job in 2022 when he joined the Georgia Southern Eagles.

His season with the Chargers this year is his first and only in the NFL. It would not be surprising to see him return to the amateur ranks where he has thrived well during his career.

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Lions snap count notes vs. Buccaneers: Dan Campbell rode his starters to victory

Lions snap count notes vs. Buccaneers: Dan Campbell rode his starters to victory, playing reserves less than normal on both sides

The Detroit Lions improved to 5-1 with Sunday’s 20-6 win in Tampa Bay, and they got the victory by leaning heavily on the starting lineup, especially on offense.

Head coach Dan Campbell shortened the bench on offense in the win. Some of that was injury-related necessity. With regular starting guards Jonah Jackson and Halapoulivaaati Vaitai unable to start, the starting five playing the whole way was a necessity. All five played all 70 offensive snaps, as did QB Jared Goff.

The other key starters played very high percentages of the game. Amon-Ra St. Brown was on the field for over 90 percent (64 of 70), followed closely by Josh Reynolds (57) at wide receiver. Rookie TE Sam LaPorta repped on 58 snaps, with Brock Wright in for 43 as the Lions leaned heavily into using two TEs against the Bucs’ impressive defensive front.

The reserves didn’t get much action. Jameson Williams caught his two passes on just 16 snaps, which is one more than Kalif Raymond got on offense. David Montgomery’s injury after 18 snaps thrust Craig Reynolds (43) and Devine Ozigbo (6) into more action than expected. Dan Skipper played four reps as an extra tackle in his first game back on the active roster.

On defense, 17 players saw action for Detroit. Five never left the field, playing all 56 snaps: DBs Kerby Joseph, Tracy Walker, Jerry Jacobs, Cam Sutton and LB Alex Anzalone.

DE Aidan Hutchinson crept back up over 85 percent usage again, playing 50 reps. John Cominsky played a season-high 43 snaps, out-repping Charles Harris (18), Levi Onwuzurike (11) and Romeo Okwara (9) combined in the No. 2 DE role.

The Lions split playing a third LB and a fifth DB pretty evenly. Will Harris was the No. 5 DB and played 39 snaps, with no other CBs or safeties seeing action. Jack Campbell was the third LB at 29 snaps.

Vaitai did play, but only on special teams. He was one of 11 Lions to appear strictly on special teams. Notable again amongst the 11: linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, his second straight game no seeing any action on defense.

Studs and Duds for the Lions victory over the Buccaneers

Here are this week’s Detroit Lions Studs and Duds for their victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Detroit Lions proved themselves to be a formidable team by winning a tough game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a score of 20-6.

Despite facing the challenge of playing away from home and missing some key players, the Lions were able to come out on top against a healthy Buccaneer team that had just come off a bye week. This win puts the Lions in a tie for the best record in the NFL. The organization’s ability to get the job done no matter the circumstances is impressive, and this win is a testament to how the Lions are run from top to bottom.

Although some players didn’t perform their best, the Lions still managed to secure a team victory. Here are the Lions Studs and Duds for their win over the Buccaneers.

Quick takeaways from the Lions impressive win over the Buccaneers

Quick takeaways from the Lions impressive Week 6 win over the Buccaneers

The Detroit Lions improved to 5-1 on the season with an impressive 20-6 win over the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. Detroit’s defense did not allow a touchdown and controlled the game, while the offense made enough key plays to defeat the NFC South leaders in their own building.

Here are some of the takeaways from watching the Week 6 game in real-time.

Studs and Duds from the Lions big win over the Panthers

Here are this week’s Detroit Lions Studs and Duds with their Week 5 over the Carolina Panthers bringing their record to 4-1 for the season

The Detroit Lions got their revenge after a devastating loss to the Carolina Panthers last year by defeating them at home with a score of 42-24. This win brought the Lions’ record to 4-1 for the season.

They surely had this game marked on their calendar, knowing they had to make up for last year’s loss, which essentially knocked them out of the playoffs. Despite missing some key players on offense, including Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, the Lions’ offense did not seem to miss a beat, while their defense continued to put on a strong performance, making Bryce Young very uncomfortable. With their fourth win this season, the Lions are in complete control of the NFC North.

The Lions put on an impressive performance against the Panthers, but there are still some areas where they need to improve. Here are this week’s Lions Studs and Duds for their victory over the Panthers.

Studs and Duds for the Lions preseason win against the Panthers

With the preseason in the books, here are this week’s Studs and Duds for the Detroit Lions preseason victory over the Carolina Panthers

The Detroit Lions have wrapped up their preseason with a 26-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers. As most of the Lions’ top players sat out, the coaches and management had the opportunity to closely observe the players who are on the brink of making the final roster. It will be intriguing to see which players the Lions choose, as many of them performed exceptionally well, making the decisions more difficult. Unfortunately, some players did not perform at their best and may have fallen behind in the roster selection.

Here are the Studs and Duds for the Lions in their preseason win against the Panthers.

Lions vs Giants: Best and worst PFF grades from Detroit’s preseason win

Here are the standout performances from this week’s best and worst PFF performers for the Detroit Lions against the New York Giants.

The Detroit Lions kicked off their season with a 21-16 victory over the New York Giants in their first preseason game. Despite many of the team’s key players sitting out, the Lions’ management was able to evaluate potential roster candidates.

The game started off slowly, with the offense struggling, but the defense saved the day by repeatedly stepping up to the challenge and shutting down their opponents. Although some areas showed promise, others may require further evaluation by the Lions’ management.

Here are the standout performances from this week’s best and worst Pro Footbal Focus (PFF) performers, highlighting those who impressed and those who fell short in their bid for a coveted roster spot.

Lions stock report: Which players rose and which fell in the preseason opener

Detroit Lions stock report: Which players rose and which fell in the preseason opener

Preseason games are about player evaluation and opportunity. Sure, it’s great that the Detroit Lions beat the New York Giants on Friday night in the exhibition opener. However, the preseason contest was much more important in giving Lions players chances to raise their stock with the team.

Some players succeeded, while others squandered chances to help themselves make the final 53-man roster. Here’s who stood out for helping themselves and also which players did not in Detroit’s 21-16 win.

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