The Florida Gators have hired Los Angeles Chargers assistant secondary coach Will Harris to fill their vacant defensive backs coach position and will officially be the secondary coach for the Gators.
“Will Harris is an absolute professional,” Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier said in the official release from FloridaGators.com.
“He will bring connection and confidence to our defensive backs room…He has a great reputation and pedigree and will help our players reach their full potential as people, students and players. I’m excited to watch the impact he is going to have on our organization and team.”
Harris himself commented on accepting the opportunity to be Florida’s new secondary coach.
“I’m very excited to be joining the University of Florida Football Program and such a dedicated and passionate staff”
“It’s an honor, and I look forward to contributing to the legacy of excellence and the rich tradition that this program is known for.”
Harris will have to hit the ground running for the Gators, as early signing day is on December 20th and Florida has some highly-coveted commitments in the secondary that he will need to build relationships with along with going after some other potential high school prospects as well.
Hiring Harris would also give the current coaching staff west coast ties when it comes to recruiting high school prospects, broadening the overall reach of the program.
His track record of producing elite defensive backs at Washington should be the most intriguing aspect of this hiring for Florida, as producing elite defensive backs has been something that Florida has done consistently over the past decade and a half.
Will Harris’s resume
Harris has quite the resume when it comes to coaching defensive backs and coaching defense in college as a whole.
Harris, who is 36-years old, was born in Pasadena, California, and played for the USC Trojans from 2005-2009.
In 2010, he played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Edmonton Eskimos.
Three years later, he got his first coaching job at Northwestern Oklahoma State to be their defensive backs coach. Harris then coached defensive backs for Humboldt State in 2014 and for Dixie College in 2015.
In 2016, Harris made his first big career leap, when he was hired to coach defensive backs at San Jose State from 2016-2017.
After his two-year coaching stint with the Spartans, Harris became the defensive backs coach for the Washington Huskies, where he coached from 2018-2021. Harris coached the likes of Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft), Tennessee Titans cornerback Elijah Molden (a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft), Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft), and Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp (a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft).
After three years with Washington, he became the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Georgia Southern in 2022. Georgia Southern’s defense recorded 15 red zone stops, which was second in the country, intercepted 11 passes whilst also recording 65 pass breakups, and finished top-20 in the country in red zone defense.
After one year with Georgia Southern, Harris was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers in March to be their assistant secondary coach.
Now, Harris is returning to the college ranks to coach the defensive backs for the Gators, who have not performed up to the standard expected from the position the past few seasons.
In 2023, Florida ranked 69th in passing yards allowed, giving up 2,720 total yards and 226.7 yards per game. Florida ranked 129th (the lowest in the FBS) in interceptions with three.
Florida Gators cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. (3) – Hannah White/Florida Athletics
Harris will be inheriting a young, but talented secondary room when he gets to Gainesville. Cornerback Jason Marshall Jr., who had an underwhelming season in comparison to his preseason projections for 2023, is set to return as of the writing of this piece along with Devin Moore, who played well when he wasn’t injured in 2023.
Florida Gators safety Jordan Castell (14) – Gabriella Whisler/Florida Athletics
Safety Jordan Castell, who shined as a freshman in 2023 and started in 11 of 12 games, will be Florida’s best safety heading into 2024 and will likely be one of the team’s leaders on defense. Bryce Thornton will also see an expanded role at safety after playing in all 12 games and starting in four of them in 2023 as a freshman.
Florida Gators cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson (2) – Mallory Peak/Florida Athletics
Cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson will be looking to take the next step in his development after appearing in 11 games as a freshman in 2023. Sharif Denson, who will likely be Florida’s next nickelback, appeared in 11 games as a freshman, primarily on special teams and occasionally at nickelback.
Dijon Johnson and Aaron Gates are two other names in the secondary room who will likely see expanded roles in 2024 after playing sparingly as freshmen.
With the hiring of Harris, Florida now has just one vacant coaching job, their defensive line coach.
