Billy Napier Thanks 'Relentless' Former Florida DC, NFL-Bound Patrick Toney

Gators head coach Billy Napier thanked Patrick Toney in a Wednesday statement after reports surfaced that Florida's defensive coordinator took a job with the Arizona Cardinals.

Photo: Patrick Toney and Florida safeties; Credit: Zach Goodall

Florida head coach Billy Napier acknowledged Gators defensive coordinator Patrick Toney's move to the NFL on Tuesday, expressing immense gratitude for the assistant's three seasons of work under the head coach at Louisiana and Florida.

ESPN reported that Toney, 32, had accepted a defensive secondary coaching position on the Arizona Cardinals' staff late on Tuesday evening. The Cardinals, now led by new head coach and former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, have yet to announce Toney's hiring officially.

"We would like to congratulate Patrick Toney on his new challenge and opportunity in the National Football League," Napier said in a Wednesday statement. "PT has been a pivotal part of our success over the last five years. He has set a great example and been a relentless worker and learner. He is a selfless teammate and one of the finest coaches and teachers we have been around. 

"We are forever thankful for his contributions to our teams and we wish him and Courtney [Toney] well as they continue their journey." 

Napier and Toney first linked on the former's first-year coaching staff with the Ragin' Cajuns, the latter taking on the role of safeties coach. Toney was promoted to defensive coordinator and moved his position coaching duties to outside linebackers ahead of the 2020 season.

Toney quickly impressed as a play-caller. His 2021 Louisiana defense ranked tied for ninth in the FBS and first in the Sun Belt Conference in points allowed per game (18.3) and 36th nationally/fourth in the Sun Belt in yards allowed per game (345.1), a year removed from ranking 31st and 33rd nationally in those respective categories.

However, Toney struggled to replicate the success he found in Lafayette during his lone season in Gainesville. 

Florida ranked tied for 10th in the SEC in points allowed per game (28.8) and 12th in yards allowed per game (411), regressing in both categories compared to the 2021 season in which former defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was let go weeks before the regular season concluded. 

Numerous reports have surfaced that Florida has targeted Alabama inside linebackers coach Austin Armstrong as Toney's replacement at defensive coordinator, although the program had yet to confirm Armstrong's hiring by press time. 

Armstrong was the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for Southern Miss from 2021-22 before joining Nick Saban's coaching staff in January. Armstrong served as a defensive graduate assistant under Napier at Louisiana in 2018, and after a one-year quality control stint at Georgia in 2019, he returned to the Ragin' Cajuns as inside linebackers coach for the 2020 campaign. 

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