Gators' Napier Discusses Armstrong's Departure, Plans for a Replacement

Armstrong left Florida after a two-year stint as the team's defensive coordinator.

Florida Gators defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong coaches Florida Gators defensive back Sharif Denson (0) during University of Florida Gators Spring football practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

TAMPA, Fla.-- Heading into its bowl game against Tulane, the Florida Gators already saw changes to its coaching staff with defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong departing for the same position at Houston.

UF head coach Billy Napier on Tuesday made his first public statement on Armstrong, who leaves after two seasons with the Gators.

"Yeah, well, first of all, congratulations to Austin," he said."I think it's obviously getting a chance to call the defense and lead the group. I think that's his passion, and we were very supportive in that regard."

Despite holding the defensive coordinator title for two seasons, Armstrong, who signed a three-year, $3.6 million contract when hired by UF, only called plays on defense for his first season in 2023. That season, the Gators had the No. 69 total defense (382.3 yards per game) and the No. 75 scoring defense (27.6 points per game).

As a result of the struggles along with other staffing moves, Napier hired former Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts as the team's Executive Head Coach, Co-Defensive Coordinator and Inside Linebackers Coach. It was later revealed that Roberts had also taken over as the full-time defensive play caller, and he spent most games in the booth while Armstrong was on the sideline.

The changes weren't immediate as the Gator defense struggled mightily through three of the first four games, but the team saw a tremendous turnaround midway through the year with midseason wins over UCF and Kentucky, strong performances in close losses to playoff teams Tennessee and Georgia and three-straight wins to end the regular season.

In wins over LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State, which moved Florida from a 4-5 record to a 7-5 finish, the Gator defense only allowed 14.6 points per game, sacked the quarterback 19 times and had nine takeaways.

Now, Florida will turn the page and look for Armstrong's replacement. With Roberts holding the defense play calling role and a position coaching role with one year left on his contract, it's unclear how exactly Napier will want to fill Armstrong's spot and if that will even be on the defensive staff.

"I think all that is to be determined," Napier said. "I think we're going to try to get the bowl game out of the way, and then take a deep breath and kind of see where we're at. But we're excited for Austin, and we're thankful for all the hard work he did here."

Florida and Tulane kick-off in the 2024 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl on Friday at 3:30 p.m.