Former Gators linebacker Mike Peterson has returned to UF as the outside linebackers coach and alumni liaison, the school announced on Thursday.
He played in 42 games at Florida from 1995-98 and started 24 of them. He recorded 249 tackles, three forced fumbles, 13 tackles-for-loss and 8 1/2 sacks and was named a First Team All-American as a senior. He started at middle linebacker on the 1996 national championship team.
He was inducted into the UF Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
The Indianapolis Colts selected him in the second round of the NFL Draft, but he’s best known for his six seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was named Second Team All-Pro in 2005.
Peterson, 45, finished his playing career with the Atlanta Falcons from 2009-12. In 14 NFL seasons, he logged 883 tackles, 21 1/2 sacks and 19 interceptions in 196 games.
The Alachua, Florida, native began his coaching career as an assistant in the strength and conditioning program at Florida from 2013-15. He started as a student assistant in 2013 and was promoted to a full-time strength and conditioning coordinator role following his graduation.
He spent the last six seasons as the outside linebackers and defensive ends coach for Will Muschamp and Shane Beamer at South Carolina.
Peterson helped Darius English earn Second Team All-SEC accolades after a nine-sack season in 2016. He also helped D.J. Wonnum rank ninth in school history in career tackles-for-loss and collect Second Team All-SEC honors in 2019.
Additionally, Kingsley Enagbare was named First Team All-SEC following the 2020 season.
Peterson becomes the first member of Billy Napier’s on-field coaching staff to have prior playing or coaching experience at UF.