REPORT: Gators Targeting McElwain-Era Coach for Staff

The position he is specifically interviewing for is unknown, but the potential addition has experience coaching on both sides of the ball

Skipper was recently the interim head coach at Fresno State / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators are reportedly targeting former assistant coach Tim Skipper for a position on the staff. Corry Knowles was the first to report. 

Skipper started his tenure at Florida as the running backs coach under Jim McElwain, eventually being promoted to linebackers coach. 

According to Knowles, Skipper is on campus and meeting with head coach Billy Napier about the potential position. He did not say what the position might be. 

Breaking: Tim Skipper, former Gator LBer coach who was most recently the interim head football coach at Fresno State, is on campus and meeting with Billy Napier about a potential position on staff.

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Swamp 247’s Graham was able to confirm the report of Skipper’s meeting on campus. 

He most recently served as the interim head coach at his alma mater, Fresno State. He took over for the New Mexico Bowl in 2023, which he won, and stuck around with the interim tag for 2024. 

The Bulldogs finished 6-7, including an overtime loss to Northern Illinois in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. 

His coaching career started at Western New Mexico in 2001 and moved to Sacramento State in 2003. He joined his alma mater the first time around in 2006 and held a few roles on both sides of the ball through 2011. 

McElwain hired him initially at Colorado State in 2012 and was a linebackers coach for three seasons before following the head coach to Florida. 

Skipper took a defensive coordinator/linebackers coach position at UNLV following the start of the Mullen regime at Florida. He’d rejoin McElwain again at Eastern Michigan for two seasons before going back to Fresno State, where he would remain up to this point. 

Should Skipper join the staff, he would join recently hired Vinnie Sunseri as a new addition to the staff. Sunseri was brought on as their co-defensive coordinator alongside Ron Roberts.