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Todd Golden fills 2 staff openings after departures, per report
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Florida basketball coach Todd Golden has reportedly filled the 2 assistant vacancies left on his staff after departures for head coaching opportunities.
As expected, Jonathan Safir has been promoted to assistant coach after previously serving as Director of Basketball Strategy and Analytics for Florida basketball. Golden told reporters he planned to promote Safir when assistant coach John Andrzejek was announced as the new Campbell head coach on March 20. Interestingly, Matt Norlander of CBS Sports notes that Safir is under consideration for the role of general manager.
Staff news for the national champs: Florida coach Todd Golden has officially promoted Director of Basketball Strategy + Analytics Jonathan Safir to assistant coach, sources told CBS Sports. Safir is also under consideration to be UF's GM, but that's still TBD as of today (1/2)
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 15, 2025
Less than one week later, Kevin Hovde accepted the Columbia head coaching job, giving Golden 2 spots to fill for 2025-26. Golden indicated he would look to fill the second opening with an external hire, and has reportedly done so by tabbing NYU coach Dave Klatsky for the role. Norlander notes that Golden and Klatsky have known each other for over a decade.
Staff news for the national champs: Florida coach Todd Golden has officially promoted Director of Basketball Strategy + Analytics Jonathan Safir to assistant coach, sources told CBS Sports. Safir is also under consideration to be UF's GM, but that's still TBD as of today (1/2)
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 15, 2025
Golden and the Gators recently celebrated the 2025 national championship, the 3rd in Florida basketball history, at The Swamp as part of the Florida football spring game festivities. With both assistant openings filled, Golden will be able to focus on working the transfer portal to assemble the 2025-26 roster.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
