Florida Parts Ways With Assistants Corey Raymond, Sean Spencer

Florida will not retain defensive assistants, secondary coach Corey Raymond and defensive line coach Sean Spencer, following the 2023 season.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida has parted ways with secondary coach Corey Raymond and co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Sean Spencer following two seasons with the program, All Gators can confirm. 

Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel was first to report Raymond and Spencer's departures. 

Raymond, 54, signed a contract extension with the program in March dated through Jan. 31, 2025, which upped his annual salary to $755,000 from $725,000. Spencer's contract, which included a $1 million salary for the 52-year-old, will expire on Jan. 31, 2024. 

Both Raymond and Spencer were members of head coach Billy Napier's inaugural Florida coaching staff, introduced between Dec. 2021 and Jan. 2022. 

Raymond joined the Gators following 10 seasons in various defensive backs coaching roles with LSU, his alma mater, where he produced 13 NFL Draft picks, including three first-round selections. Spencer spent two seasons with the New York Giants before aligning with Napier and UF, and six years at Penn State prior to his stint in the pros.

Spencer was awarded the title of co-defensive coordinator at the time of his hiring, although it was Patrick Toney in 2022 and Austin Armstrong in 2023 who called plays for Florida's defense. Raymond was promoted to coach UF's entire secondary this year following Toney's offseason move to the NFL ranks, after previously only overseeing the team's cornerback position. 

The dismissals follow Florida's 5-7 (3-5 Southeastern Conference) season in which the Gators did not qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2017. 

A significant aspect of UF's failure to reach postseason play was its defensive downfalls following the first four games of the season, a promising stretch in which the unit allowed just 13.5 points per game to Utah, McNeese State, Tennessee and Charlotte.

Florida would finish the 2023 campaign with the No. 11-ranked team defense in the Southeastern Conference, however, having allowed 382.3 yards per game on the year. UF gave up 27.6 points per game, which also ranked No. 11 in the SEC. 

Unimpressive as the yards-allowed-per-game mark might have been, it showcased improvement in the category from the Gators' No. 12-ranked (SEC) 411 yards allowed per contest in 2022. 

UF allowed 9.1 fewer passing yards per game this season, 226.7, than it did last, 235.8. The same can be said for the Gators' rushing defense as it gave up 19.6 fewer yards per game in 2023, 155.6, than in 2022, 175.2. 

That being said, the Gators' 22 sacks and three interceptions in 2023 were good for third-to-last and last in the conference, respectively. The Gators regressed in both categories after tallying 23 sacks and nine interceptions in 2022. 

This story will be updated as further details emerge. 

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