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Florida to hire Deron Wilson as new cornerbacks coach, per report
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Florida has moved quickly to fill the opening on its defensive staff. Billy Napier is reportedly turning to a familiar face.
Multiple reports, including one from NIL collective Florida Victorious, say Deron Wilson is returning to Gainesville.
Wilson was on Napier’s staff in 2022 as a quality control assistant working with the Florida cornerbacks. He’ll now be UF’s on-field cornerbacks coach. Wilson replaces Will Harris, who recently left for a position with in-state rival Miami.
Wilson spent the 2023 and ’24 seasons as the secondary coach at Arkansas. In January, he accepted the defensive coordinator position at Georgia State.
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.
Napier has had a busy offseason of staff hires. The defensive staff will notably have a new look. Robert Bala joins as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach after previously serving at Washington. Vinnie Sunseri, a fellow former Washington assistant who had been hired as defensive coordinator at Jacksonville State, will be co-DC and safeties coach.
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.
