McElwain picks a running backs coach

Jim McElwain continues to build his first Florida Gators coaching staff with meticulous thought and planning. Gator Country has confirmed a report earlier in the week from John Middlekauff — a former NFL scout who now hosts a radio show on 95.7 the game in the Bay Area — that Tim Skipper will be named the next running backs coach at Florida.

Skipper will be entering his 15th year coaching at the collegiate level where he made a name for himself coaching first round NFL Draft pick Ryan Matthews at Fresno State.

While Skipper will coach the running backs at Florida, he has seen action on both sides of the ball, getting his coaching start at Western New Mexico as a defensive backs coach in 2001. Skipper was promoted to defensive coordinator the following season before moving to Sacramento State — with the same job trajectory from secondary to defensive coordinator. He then moved to Fresno State as a running backs coach in 2006, where he stayed for three seasons. From 2009-2011 he coached linebackers for the Bulldogs and was the interim defensive coordinator for the final three games of the 2011 season.

Jim McElwain hired him as a linebackers coach at Colorado State, where Skipper spent the past two seasons.

So far, McElwain has hired four coaches with Doug Nussmeier running the offense, Geoff Collins running the defense and Randy Shannon to coach the linebackers. The news that Skipper will be the next running backs coach also means that Florida’s longest tenured coach — Brian White — will not return to the team. White was hired by Urban Meyer to coach tight ends but stayed on through the Muschamp era as a running backs coach.

 

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC

2 COMMENTS

  1. Good….our running backs haven’t had much production under whites tutelage. I firmly believe if Taylor is coached better and has the opportunity he will be a great running back for us…despite what snowflake says….Adam Lane was under used in my opinion too. Maybe this coach will see this.