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Billy Napier announces hiring of Deron Wilson as Florida DBs coach
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Billy Napier has filled the opening on his on-field coaching staff.
Florida officially announced the addition of Deron Wilson as the Gators’ new defensive backs coach. Wilson joins after the departure of secondary coach Will Harris.
Wilson returns to Florida after 2 seasons at Arkansas. In January, Wilson had been named defensive coordinator at Georgia State.
It’s great to have Deron back in the building,” Billy Napier said in a released statement. “His exposure to our system and tree of coaches, to go along with experience in the SEC makes his hiring a no-brainer. His pedigree and relationships in recruiting will be valuable as well. He will help us continue to improve going forward.
Wilson was on Napier’s staff in 2022 as a quality control assistant working with defensive backs. With Vinnie Sunseri holding the title of co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, Wilson is expected to focus on Florida cornerbacks.
It’s an honor to rejoin the Florida Gator football staff,” Wilson said in a program release. “I’m inspired by the culture Coach Napier is building and the standard of excellence players and coaches are held to. I will give it my all so we can compete for championships, along with signing and developing elite talent.
Under Wilson, the Arkansas secondary showed notable improvement in 2023. The Razorbacks ranked fourth in the SEC in passing yards allowed per game with 202.8 yards in 2023, the program’s best number since 2011. Arkansas’ 12 interceptions during the ’23 campaign ranked third in the conference, and the team’s 4 pick-6s matched 5 other teams to lead the FBS.
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.
