Florida Gators hire former Colorado DC Tyson Summers as an analyst

The Florida Gators have finished spring football, but they haven’t finished improving their team. According to Matt Zenitz of AL.com, the Gators are expected to hire former Colorado defensive coordinator Tyson Summers as an analyst.

Summers was fired after his second season as Colorado’s defensive coordinator following the 2020 season.

It was interesting to read up on Summers’ career, as it has been a little up and down. However, one thing is certain, he can coach a defense pretty well. Summers’ defense in 2020 was ranked 13th in the country for 3rd down conversion percentage.

Colorado is not a powerhouse by any means, and having an elite third-down defense is crucial for a team. It is one of the main reasons the Gators’ defense was so bad last season.

Adding to Summers’ 3rd down defense resume, Summers was also the defensive coordinator at UCF in 2014. In the 2014 season, his defense was 38th in 3rd down conversion percentage and the 5th best defense in the country for yards, only giving up 298.5 yards per game.

If you notice a trend, that is a good thing because, in the 2015 college football season, Summers was the defensive coordinator at Colorado State. His defense at Colorado State was 26th in the country for 3rd down percentage.

These numbers may not be top 10 but look at the teams he is coaching. Those are impressive numbers for his resume and highlight that he knows what he is doing on 3rd down.

What will Tyson Summers help the Florida defense with?

Florida is reportedly hiring him as an analyst, so it will be interesting to see what that entails. My bet would be that he helps a ton with the Gators’ 3rd down defense, which was ranked 72nd in college football last season. Summers also has coached the defensive backs and primarily the safeties in his career, so he should help even more in the secondary.

Head coach Dan Mullen and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham have been adamant about the defense being back in 2021. It seems that Mullen and Florida really felt their secondary coaches were the issue in 2020, and their new secondary coaches will help elevate the defense.

Regardless, this seems like an excellent move for the Gators. Florida has been known for having an elite defense, and their 2020 defense was anything but that. Florida fans are hopeful that with the addition of the new secondary coaches and now Summers, the Gators will be back on track in 2021.