Florida Officially Hires Austin Armstrong as Defensive Coordinator

Austin Armstrong is officially replacing Patrick Toney as the Gators defensive coordinator in 2023.

Photo credit: Florida Gators creative media

Austin Armstrong is officially the Gators' new defensive coordinator.

He replaces recently departed defensive play caller and safeties coach Patrick Toney, the program announced on Monday, and is expected to man just coordinator duties as Florida has reportedly handed Corey Raymond the secondary in its entirety. Co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Sean Spencer will maintain his title.

Armstrong, 29, becomes the youngest coordinator in the Power Five following his hiring. 

He was the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for Southern Miss from 2021-22 before joining Nick Saban's coaching staff in January as the inside linebackers coach. That came one season after the two programs faced off in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where Saban praised Armstrong's defensive approach as an "SEC-type" effort from the Golden Eagles in a 63-14 win for the Crimson Tide.

"I would equate their defense to an SEC-type defense in terms of the way they've played so far this year," Saban said in September 2021.

At that point, Southern Miss ranked third nationally in rushing defense (46 yards per game) and 12th nationally in total defense (250.7 yards per game). Despite an expected regression to the mean, the group still performed at a high level throughout his tenure in Hattiesburg, Miss.

It finished No. 42 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) during the 2022 campaign.

Armstrong served as a defensive graduate assistant under Billy 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.

Now, the up-and-comer with the Saban and Kirby Smart stamps of approval has earned his first opportunity to prove himself on the national stage. He heads to Gainesville looking to resurrect a struggling Florida defense amid a mass exodus of players in coaches in Napier's first offseason as the incumbent. 

Despite the turnover, Armstrong helps maintain continuity in the Florida scheme despite being the third coordinator in as many years. Operating a similar 3-3-5 base defense to the one Toney deployed, the position structure remains essentially the same with three down linemen, a hybrid standup edge rusher just off the line of scrimmage, two traditional off-ball linebackers and five defensive backs — including a STAR nickel cornerback.

The personnel, like under Toney's leadership, will occasionally change on a matchup basis.

Where Armstrong differs is his propensity to bring pressure. 

While Toney erred on the side of caution with a mixture of simulated pressures in a defensive style coined a creeper defense — where he brought pressure with a linebacker to defensive back while dropping a first-level defender into coverage — Armstrong's Southern Miss. defense ranked eighth in blitz rate (40%), according to MatchQuarters.com. 

However, he still utilizes the simulated approach, a notable sign of Toney's influence on the up-and-coming defensive play caller during their time at UL.

On the boundary, Armstrong maintains those aggressive tendencies with a healthy dose of press coverage for cornerbacks, an area Florida that excelled a season ago, particularly with Jason Marshall Jr. That's paired with safety help over the top in numerous deep zone calls.

He inherits a defense tasked with replacing eight multi-year starters but has an influx of youth expected to enter prominent roles. Sophomores Shemar James, Kamari Wilson, Devin Moore and Miguel Mitchell, as well as true freshmen defensive backs Ja'Keem Jackson, Jordan Castell and Sharif Denson, are also in line for early playing time.

The roster's current state suggests Armstrong can hit the ground running with his style of defense, given the talent compiled in the secondary.

Armstrong arrived in Gainesville late last week, allowing both parties to grow acclimated with offseason practices on the horizon.

The Gators begin the spring period on March 4.

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