Former Florida secondary coach Corey Raymond is returning to his old stomping grounds, having agreed to coach cornerbacks for his alma mater and previous employer, LSU, according to On3 Sports.
Florida dismissed Raymond, alongside defensive line coach Sean Spencer, on Nov. 27, 2023. He spent two seasons with the Gators, the first as the program’s cornerbacks coach before overseeing UF’s entire secondary in 2023.
Head coach Billy Napier and athletic director Scott Stricklin have publicly suggested Florida’s defensive coaching staff shakeup entering the 2024 offseason was necessary after a campaign in which the Gators allowed 382.3 yards and 27.6 points per game, ranking No. 11 in the SEC in each category.
UF’s passing defense, which Raymond influenced specifically, was responsible for giving up 226.7 yards per game, an underwhelming count albeit improved from the 235.8 yards per game Florida allowed in 2022. The unit tallied only three interceptions on the year, though, down from nine picks posted the season prior.
Before joining Florida in Dec. 2021, Raymond spent ten seasons coaching the Tigers’ defensive backs at LSU, where he played cornerback himself from 1987-91 before a six-year NFL career.
Raymond notably developed cornerbacks Derek Stingley and Tre’Davious White and safeties Jamal Adams and Eric Reid into first-round NFL Draft selections during his first coaching stint in Baton Rouge.
Will Harris, most recently an assistant for the Los Angeles Chargers, was hired to replace Raymond as Florida’s secondary coach on Dec. 11, 2023.
Harris went on to acquire commitments from class of 2024 safety Gregory Smith III and transfer defensive backs, Trikweze Bridges from Oregon and DJ Douglas from Tulane, within a month of taking the job.
Along with Harris, Florida hired Gerald Chatman from Tulane to replace Spencer and Ron Roberts from Auburn to supersede Jay Bateman as the Gators’ inside linebackers coach. Roberts will also be UF’s co-defensive coordinator and executive head coach.
