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Former Florida OL, 1996 national champion, leaving UF staff for on-field opportunity with Army
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Former Florida OL Cheston Blackshear is leaving his support staff post at UF to take an on-field position. Blackshear has been hired by Army’s Jeff Monken as the Black Knights’ new tight ends coach.
Blackshear, who was a member of Florida’s 1996 national championship squad, was a quality control assistant on Billy Napier’s staff the past two seasons. He worked with OL coaches Rod Sale and Darnell Stapleton.
“It has been an honor to serve at my alma mater, these last two seasons,” Blackshear wrote in a note addressed to Gator Nation. “It is difficult to convey the overwhelming sense of pride I feel to have had the opportunity to return to this great football program.
“During my time at the University of Florida, I have had the privilege of witnessing the positive changes that Coach Napier is bringing to this team. His leadership and vision have been truly inspiring, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked under his guidance and leadership.
“I want to acknowledge the tremendous work ethic and guidance of Coach Sale and Coach Stapleton. Their dedication to the team and their commitment to excellence have left a lasting impact on me. They have truly welcomed me into the ‘Family,’ and I am thankful for the experiences and knowledge I gained from them.”
Blackshear played for Steve Spurrier from 1995-99. He got into coaching in as a UF grad assistant from 2002-04. Blackshear’s other coaching stops include Dartmouth (2018-21), Nevada (2014-17), Georgetown (2013), New Mexico (2009-12), Columbia (2006-08) and Illinois (2005).
“We are proud to welcome Cheston Blackshear to the Army Football Brotherhood,” Monken said in a program release. “Cheston will be a fantastic fit for our culture as he has a wide variety of experience from his playing career at Florida to his coaching tenure there that will add a lot of knowledge, making an immediate impact in the development of our young men.”
— Cheston Blackshear (@cblackshear) January 23, 2024
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.
