Florida Gators Football: Who Will UF Hire As Defensive Coordinator?
Florida Gators defensive coordinator Geoff Collins agreed to become head coach of the Temple Owls. Who will Florida hire to replace him?
The Florida Gators football team has an opportunity to put itself back on the map. The thing holding it back is recruiting. This next hire for Defensive Coordinator will be crucial for just that.
Florida recently lost its defensive coordinator. Geoff Collins agreed to become the new head coach of the Temple Owls.
There are several names that have been in contention to replace Collins at Florida. Some we expect, and others which are eye opening names to hear.
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Whoever Florida hires, it will be crucial not only to be a good coach who can develop the defensive talent given to him, but to also be a standout recruiter as Florida has struggled recruiting defensively over the last few years.
This is a decision that needs to be made quickly, but it’s also something that needs be decided thoroughly as it will affect the team short-term and long-term. This will be our first chance to see what kind of AD Scott Stricklin will be at Florida with his first hire.
Top Candidates
Randy Shannon – The top name to come up early after Collins’ departure is Florida’s linebackers coach: Randy Shannon. He had spent 12 years with the Miami Hurricanes as defensive coordinator, and later went on to become the team’s head coach. He has pipelines down in Miami, where a lot of the country’s most talented prospects are from. While he has missed on some key recruits over the last few years, he’s a solid recruiter and would have an easier time getting recruits with defensive coordinator next to his name.
Tosh Lupoi – This is also another name that has been thrown around by a lot of people, as he is an extremely good recruiter. He has spent time at Washington, Cal, and he’s now the current linebackers coach for the nation’s best team, Alabama. Lupoi is the guy who convinced Mack Wilson, a player Florida coveted last year, to go to Alabama. He also personally got two of the Top 10 recruits in this year’s recruiting class to choose Alabama.
If Florida is able to convince Lupoi to go to Gainesville, that would be a game changer.
Torrian Gray – A guy nobody is talking about, but one that deserves at least an interview for the job. Gray is the defensive backs coach for Florida and coached at Virginia Tech the previous 10 seasons in the same position. He deserves a chance due to his work as a defensive backs coach.
When at Virginia Tech, they allowed the least amount of passing yards per game over his 10 years, and has the No. 2 pass defense in the country this year. When he was hired by Florida last year, a lot of people thought it was a solid hire. Sooner or later, I can see Gray leaving for a chance to lead a defense, but I think Florida should have him in their minds for this job.
Who I think will be the next DC: Tosh Lupoi. I think Coach McElwain will be able to convince Lupoi to come to Gainesville for several reasons. One reason is a chance to get his chance to be the man in charge of a defense; the man who calls the plays and picks the personnel. Secondly, because his job as a recruiter will become much easier with a higher position, and would have a field day recruiting top-tier talent to come to Florida.
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If Florida lands Lupoi, it would be a turning point for this current regime.