Report: Florida Gators Add Former HC Paul Pasqualoni to Staff as Assistant

The Florida Gators have made an off-field addition to their coaching staff.

The Florida Gators will add former Connecticut and Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni to their staff as a special assistant to head coach Dan Mullen, as first reported by Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

Pasqualoni, 70, most recently spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions from 2018-19. Pasqualoni has been coaching professionally since 1972 when he began as an assistant at his alma mater, Cheshire High School (Conn.), going on to serve as a position coach both offensively and defensively, coordinator, and head coach at multiple college programs and for several NFL teams. 

He first became a head coach at Division 3 West Connecticut State in 1983, going 34-17 in four seasons. Pasqualoni went on to serve as Syracuse's head coach from 1991-2004, compiling a 107-59-1 record, before taking on the Connecticut head-coaching gig from 2011-13 - going 10-18 in two and a half seasons. In total, Pasqualoni has put together a 6-4 record in bowl games.

In January, the Lions announced that Pasqualoni would be departing from the staff in order to be closer to his family, as reported by Pro Football Talk. Lions head coach Matt Patricia called Pasqualoni "one of the best men I’ve ever been around" following his departure.

Yahoo Sports' report indicates that Pasqualoni will be working on the offensive side of the ball in an off-field role for the Gators "where he helps the offensive staff break down opposing defenses and also helping head coach Dan Mullen evaluate the program from a macro view."

Mullen and Pasqualoni previously worked together at Syracuse, where Mullen was a graduate assistant in 1998.