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When Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators let Torrian Gray and Ron English go, they couldn’t expect the whirlwind of a coach search to follow.
The Gators hired former Auburn defensive back coach Wesley McGriff a few weeks ago, but a gaping hole still remains at that second.
Top coaches such as Travaris Robinson, Chris Ash and Maurice Linguist were expected to put pen to paper at one point or another, but they seemingly fell through the cracks.
Robinson has found a new home in Miami, Ash has joined the staff at Urban Meyer Jacksonville Jaguars and reports indicate Linguist will travel to Michigan after a bidding war with Florida.
Add in last week’s reports of linebacker coach Christian Robinson heading to Michigan (before finally reaching a deal to stay), and January has been quite a month for Mullen and his crew.
As the Gators continue their search for the right fit, there are a few key qualities that anyone hired should have.
The Florida staff are in desperate need of another energetic coach. Gray is part of that bill as one of the most entertaining coaches to watch and listen to in workouts (before the COVID-19 pandemic hits and ruins it).
McGriff is also known for his enthusiasm and needs someone to match him to coach high school.
The Gators were obviously looking for that in their former candidates. Plus the youthful energy, Robinson and Linguist both under 40.
Young and energetic quality almost always goes hand in hand with top notch recruiting. It takes a lot of dedication to put in the time and effort necessary to build relationships with high school players in addition to taking on coaching duties.
And arguably, more than anything, Florida needs someone who can recruit at a high level. The 2021 class currently sits 12th in the country (fifth in the SEC), and that continues to be one of the biggest issues holding this team back from their ultimate goal.
It’s easy to sit here and insist on recruiting until the end of time, but outside of that Florida needs a real talent developer.
Even the most touted high school defensive backs need their skills honed once they step onto campus. This doesn’t seem to be happening for several Gators over the past few seasons. Some even seemed to regress over time.
Florida have struggled to find or develop trustworthy security since the departures of Marcus Maye and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. And while CJ Henderson won a first-round pick after the 2019 season, cornerback play has also been on a downtrend.
Communication remained a major issue for the Gators’ high school (and the defense as a whole) in 2020. Too often defenders get caught out in the air ignorant or blaming a teammate after allowing explosive play. .
Unfortunately for Florida, more often than not this has happened in situations where the defense should have been able to get out of the field. I curse you, third and 15.
Some of these issues, of course, cannot be fully addressed by position coaches. It all starts at the top, but these are things Florida’s next defensive assistant will have to tackle nonetheless.
As a month approaches in this search for coaching, Mullen is in a hurry to find a good candidate and close the deal. Florida is one of the top 10 programs in the country and should be able to select assistants of this caliber.
Gator Country will continue to provide the latest updates as more names come to the fore for the vacant position.
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