Florida Gators Assistant Coach Profiles: Who is Russ Callaway?
Photo: Russ Callaway; Credit: Zach Goodall
Billy Napier's arrival in Gainesville last season marked a drastic program overhaul from top to bottom.
Gearing his early focus toward compiling an "army" of sorts for his staff, Napier filled several niche positions in an attempt to elicit smooth operation at all levels, on and off the field.
"We're going to hire an army of people here," Napier said on Dec. 5, 2021. "We're going to create an infrastructure not only in the personnel department but also from an on-campus recruiting, creative media, name, image and likeness. We're going to create — we've got a great vision for the organization that we're going to create here."
It resulted in a 48-person support staff paired with the on-field coaches.
Over one year later, change — as expected in the profession — swept through the ranks of his army. Several off-field positions remain vacant deep into the offseason.
And, most notably, defensive coordinator/safeties coach Patrick Toney, wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and tight ends coach William Peagler moved onto new endeavors, trying their hand at the professional level as NFL teams came calling.
Those on-field spots required filling.
Last offseason, All Gators looked at the background, recruiting history, quotes and more of the following returning coaches: Jabbar Juluke, Rob Sale, Darnell Stapleton, Sean Spencer, Mike Peterson, Jay Bateman, Corey Raymond and Mark Hocke.
Now, after the aforementioned personnel movement, we update the series by getting to know the three new faces set to grace the Gators' sideline in 2023.
To round out the revamped assistant profiles, following the in-depth looks into Austin Armstrong and Billy Gonzales, AG shifts focus to tight ends coach Russ Callaway.
Background information
Callaway, 35, is a rising assistant journeyman with stints at the collegiate and professional levels since graduating from Valdosta State in 2010.
His resume includes successful SEC stops at Alabama — serving beneath well-accoladed coaches Kirby Smart (defensive coordinator) and Nick Saban as part of back-to-back BCS National Championship squads — and LSU.
Following an off-the-field defensive analyst role with the Crimson Tide to begin his career, assisting Smart with the inside linebackers unit, Callaway controlled the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator positions at Murray State for two seasons.
Earning recognition as a promising assistant in Division II, he moved to Samford in 2015 to take over wide receiver coaching duties (2015-17). He quickly earned a promotion, taking over as the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2016-19.
The program boasted a prolific offense under his tutelage, led by former Pittsburgh Steelers starter Delvin Hodges at its peak.
Callaway left Samford for LSU in 2020, occupying an offensive assistant and analyst position on Ed Orgeron's staff just one season removed from the Tigers' national championship run. That was his lone year in Baton Rouge as he jumped to the NFL as an offensive assistant for the New York Giants in 2021.
In 2022, the Gators hired Callaway away from his post with the Giants to man a defensive intern position in Gainesville. Quickly growing his role with Florida in one year, Callaway became the staffer temporarily in charge of tight ends once Peagler left for the Arizona Cardinals during the spring.
On March 6, he was officially promoted from within by Napier to take over full-time tight ends coaching duties for the 2023 season.
Recruiting History
As he enters the on-field coaching market for the first time in the Power Five, Callaway is a relative unknown in the recruiting department.
He lacks the history needed to accurately summarize his pull on the prospective talent Florida will target. However, there is optimism derived from his early efforts as the Murray State recruiting coordinator that he can perform on a larger scale to bring in elite-tier prep talent to don orange and blue threads collegiately.
How's it going?
Callaway has embodied the term hit the ground running regarding his impact on the recruiting trail in just under three months on duty at UF.
In a short time, the Athens, Ga. native has tapped into the talent-rich Peach State to catapult the Gators to the top of several tight end target's recruitments.
Notably, Hiram (Ga.) prospect Walter Matthews and Portal (Ga.) prospect Amir Jackson — both ranked inside the top 115 nationally per 247 Sports composite — have expressed considerable interest in joining the fold for the Gators in the 2024 cycle, largely due to Callaway's pursuit.
Each has scheduled an official visit to Gainesville for June.
In addition, Carrollton High's Caleb Odom, after casting Florida out of contention following the departure of Peagler, recently re-inserted the Gators as a potential suitor in his top seven. While a new recruiting approach — offering the opportunity to play a role similar to how the previous regime used Kyle Pitts — intrigued Odom, Callaway has played a crucial part in reconciling the relationship between the two parties after the significant turnover this spring.
Outside of Georgia, Eric Karner, an Immaculate Conception (Elmhurst, Ill.) product who named Florida in his top five, has given Florida consideration and will join Matthews on campus June 9-11.
As the Gators attempt to bring in two-to-three fresh faces for the tight end room this cycle, the newly promoted assistant is proving game to effectively accomplish that endeavor.
Quotable
"It's definitely been, I would say interesting 'cause he's a great coach, and he definitely brings something different to the table. I would say, like you said, the emphasis on the run; we've definitely been working the run. And I feel like we've been doing a great job at that again. And I just feel like we're getting real serious in that room, and I feel like it's going to be something special." — Gators tight end Arlis Boradingham on Russ Callaway.
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