The Florida Gators are expected to hire Tulane special teams coordinator Johnathan Galante in the same role, according to multiple reports.
In his lone season with the Green Wave, Galante earned recognition as one of 63 nominees for the 2025 Broyles Award, honoring the nation’s top assistant coach in college football. Galante was one of just nine special teams coordinators nominated.
Prior to his time in New Orleans, Galante spent three seasons at Marshall in the same capacity.
Gator Country takes a deeper look at Galante’s four seasons as a special teams coordinator, breaking down the strengths and notable accomplishments for each unit.
Here’s where each special teams unit ranked in the FBS (regular season) according to Pro Football Focus:
2025 Tulane: 30th
2024 Marshall: 21st
2023 Marshall: 21st
2022 Marshall: 31st
Notables with each unit
2025 Tulane
Green Wave kicker Patrick Durkin was named the American Conference’s Special Teams Player of the Year after connecting on 25 of 28 field goals including 4 of 6 from 50+ yards. Durkin ranked fifth nationally with 66 touchbacks in 77 kicks.
Tulane punter Alec Clark led the conference with a 46.82 punting average on his 45 boots. Both Durkin and Clark earned the league’s First Team honor.
Tulane ranked 29th in the country in kick return average and 117th in punt return average. Defensive back TJ Smith was named to the American Conference Third Team at return specialist and Jason Arredondo did the same at Long Snapper.
The Green Wave held the sixth best kickoff return defense in the country under Galante, holding opposing teams to an average return of just 14.83 yards. The unit ranked 73rd in punt return defense at 8.41 yards per return but did not allow a touchdown.
2024 Marshall
In Galante’s last season with Marshall, the Thundering Herd had an electric kick return game led by Ian Foster, who led the Sun Belt Conference with an average of 32.4 yards per return on 16 attempts. Marshall’s 832 kickoff return yards ranked 30th in college football while their 25.2 average yards per return ranked 15th.
Marshall’s kick return defense allowed just 19.0 yards per return, which ranked inside the top 50 nationally.
Marshall punter Alec Clark, who later transferred to Tulane, averaged 42.4 yards per punt on 55 punts. Thundering Herd kickers combined for 18 field goals on 25 attempts.
2023 Marshall
In 2023, Marshall’s kick return game ranked tied for third nationally at 26.3 yards per return. Wide receiver Jayden Harrison led the Sun Belt with an average of 30.7 per return and two touchdowns. Harrison was the first of back to back Marshall returners to lead the Sun Belt under Galante.
Punter John McConnell led the Sun Belt with 61 punts with an average of 42.8 yards per punt, a spike from his previous year at 39.17 yards per punt.
2022 Marshall
In his first season as special teams coordinator, Marshall finished with a pair of blocked kicks and a blocked punt, which Dainsus Miller recovered for a touchdown.
Marshall’s kick return defense ranked 34th nationally at 17.63 yards per return while their punt return defense ranked 39th at 5.93 yards per return.
Galante also served as a special teams analyst at the University of Alabama (2019-2021) and a special teams graduate assistant at Virginia Tech (2017-2018).
Either specialist from 2025 have any eligibility left?