A Revamped Secondary Provides New Life to Florida Gators Defense

From the coaching staff to the field, the Florida Gators secondary has a host of new faces trying to get new results after a dismal 2023.

New Florida Gators secondary coach Will Harris directs a host of new players. / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY

Everyone in the country saw how bad the Florida Gators passing defense was in 2023. 

When the run defense would get stops, the passing defense struggled to match their same energy. Additionally, there would be a lack of focus on many plays and tackling problems that led to extra yards or touchdowns. 

So, once the season ended, Billy Napier saw the need to revamp this part of the defense. Napier made the decision to part ways with former Gators defensive back coach Corey Raymond. 

To replace Raymond, Napier hired former Los Angeles Chargers assistant secondary coach Will Harris. Harris, despite being relatively young 36, has tons of experience coaching under his belt having been coaching since 2013.

Most of his success though has come within the past six years.  

Before joining the Chargers staff in 2023, he held the defensive coordinator title at Georgia Southern in 2022 where they were second in the FBS in red zone stops (15) and top 20 nationally in red zone defense. 

Moreover, he was the defensive backs coach at Washington from 2018-2021 and helped them become the best passing defense in the nation 2021, allowing only 143.3 yards per game and giving up just six touchdowns. 

Harris has also had several defensive backs drafted in the top three rounds. This includes former first rounder Trent McDuffie and second round picks Kyler Gordon, Byron Murphy Jr. and Taylor Rapp. 

After hiring Harris, Napier hired Bowling Green cornerbacks coach Beyah Rasool to an off-field role to help oversee UF’s cornerbacks. 

While at Bowling Green, Rasool manufactured a secondary that ranked fourth in passes intercepted (17), 12th in passing yards allowed per game (179.8), 44th in team passing efficiency defense (127.56), 25th in total defense (326.1 yards per game) and led the country with 28 total turnovers forced.

A total 180 of what the Gators did in this past season. 

So, how much do Harris and Rasool have to fix? A lot. 

The defense ranked 70th in passing yards allowed (2720 total yards, 226.7 yards per game), 129th in passes intercepted (3) and 108th in team passing efficiency defense (146.28).

To combat these problems, Napier, Harris and the Gators attacked the portal hard for veteran defensive backs. 

In the 2024 cycle, the Gators welcomed former Oregon Ducks defensive back Trikweze Bridges, former Tulane Green Wave safety DJ Douglas and former Washington Huskies safety Asa Turner. 

In addition to the experience added in this department in the portal, Napier also recruited former five-star defensive back Cormani McClain from the Colorado Buffaloes and former 2024 top-200 defensive back Jameer Grimsley from the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

It’s evident there was a major effort to reignite the Florida Gators passing that used to be one of the most feared in the country, but only time will tell if all the new faces add up to new results.