Florida Reveals Contract Details for Austin Armstrong, New Assistants

Austin Armstrong signed a three-year contract with an annually increasing salary to become the Gators' defensive coordinator, one of several assistant coach contracts unsealed by the university.

Photo: Austin Armstrong; Credit: Zach Goodall

Florida revealed contract details for seven football and men's basketball assistant coaches on Thursday in response to several public records requests (FOIA), including terms for new Gators defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales and tight ends coach Russ Callaway.

In records obtained by All Gators, Armstrong, 29, joins the program on a three-year contract from Feb. 22, 2023, until Jan. 31, 2026. His first-year salary is $1,100,000 and increases by $100,000 each year, to $1,200,000 for the 2024 season and $1,300,000 for the 2025 season. 

Armstrong's contract terms differ from those of former UF defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, who head coach Billy Napier officially hired as a member of his inaugural Gators coaching staff on Dec. 6, 2021. Toney only signed a two-year contract and his salary did not escalate over the course of the agreement. 

Toney left Florida to join the Arizona Cardinals as defensive backs coach in February. Armstrong made way to Gainesville shortly thereafter, following a one-month stint as Alabama's inside linebackers coach and two seasons as the youngest defensive coordinator in the FBS at Southern Mississippi. 

His Golden Eagles' unit finished No. 42 in the FBS in total defense, No. 24 in passing defense, No. 15 in turnovers forced and top ten in an assortment of other categories (tackles for loss, sacks, interception, defensive touchdowns, red zone defense, first downs allowed) in 2022.

Gonzales, 51, and Callaway, 35, followed Armstong in joining Florida's on-field coaching staff during spring camp. Gonzales was hired away from Marshall and Callaway was promoted internally from the role of defensive intern. 

Both signed two-year deals that expire on Jan. 31, 2025. Gonzales will earn $500,000 and Callaway will receive $300,000 for their annual salaries. 

Like Toney, former Florida wide receivers coach Keary Colbert (Denver Broncos, wide receivers coach) and tight ends coach William Peagler (Arizona Cardinals, assistant defensive line coach) bolted for the NFL following one season with the program, leading to a reunion with Gonzales and Callaway's promotion from the off-field staff. 

Gonzales spent a combined nine seasons at UF across two previous assistant coaching stints, from 2005-09 under head coach Urban Meyer and 2018-21 under head coach Dan Mullen. He spent the 2022 season at Florida Atlantic. 

Before joining Napier's program in an off-field role last year, Callaway held off-field roles with the New York Giants, LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide and manned on-field positions with Samford from 2015-19. including offensive coordinator, and Murray State from 2013-14.

The university also confirmed that Corey Raymond earned a one-year extension and raise in the release, as a result of an offseason promotion from his debut role on UF's on-field staff.  

Raymond, 53, was officially promoted from cornerbacks coach to defensive backs coach March 15, following Toney's departure. A year was tacked onto his contract and he earned an annual raise of $30,000. 

Napier's contract allots $7.5 million annually for Florida's on-field coaching staff and an additional $5 million for off-field assistants in varying capacities. 

Basketball assistants Carlin Hartman, 50, Korey McCray, 44, and Kevin Hovde, 34, receive respective salaries of $565,000, $365,000 and $190,000, per the release. Members of head coach Todd Golden's inaugural coaching staff, introduced between March and April 2022, each of their contracts end on June 30, 2024.

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