Florida Football: Gators to hire Will Harris as defensive backs coach

One of the worst-kept secrets around Florida football appears to be official, as Los Angeles Chargers assistant defensive backs coach Will Harris is slated to be named the next defensive backs coach for the Florida Gators, according to several outlets, including Zach Abolverdi of On3.

The move was heavily rumored over the last week and is slated to be official.

Florida Football: Will and no grace period

Over the weekend, we highlighted Harris's pros and cons. On the upside, Harris was the defensive backs coach for the Washington Huskies from 2018 through 2021. During the 2021 season, the Huskies were the best in the nation at opponents yards per passing attempt, giving up just 5.5 yards per passing attempt.

By comparison, the Gators were one of the worst in the country this season, allowing over 8.5 yards per passing attempt.

After Jimmy Lake was fired midseason during 2021, Harris made his way to Georgia Southern as their defensive coordinator. On the upside, the Eagles had one of the better red zone defenses in 2022, but the overall defense for Georgia Southern was one of the weakest in the country in 2022.

Harris jumped to the NFL for the 2023 season, where he has been an assistant defensive backs coach with the LA Chargers. The secondary for LA hasn't been great, ranking 4th worst in the NFL in yards per passing attempt against.

One of the concerns fans had as it began to leak that Harris would be the man joining Florida football was whether or not he would finish the season with LA. With early signing day around the corner and the transfer portal open for business, Billy Napier and crew can't wait to have someone show up in January.

According to Gator Country, Harris will be freed from the Chargers and hitting the recruiting trail immediately this week.