When the Gators announced the hiring of Corey Raymond as their cornerbacks coach in early December, it sent shockwaves throughout the entire SEC.
Raymond had enjoyed tremendous success in his 10 years coaching at LSU, his alma mater. He worked with 14 players who were selected in the NFL Draft, including household names Tyrann Mathieu, Jamal Adams, Greedy Williams, Derek Stingley and Kristian Fulton. Obviously, with a list of former players like that, Raymond has to at least be in the discussion for best recruiter in the country.
With all of that success, other schools almost certainly tried to throw a ton of money at him to get him away from the Bayou over the years. Raymond was even rumored to be in the mix to join the UF staff on several prior occasions under different head coaches.
So, Billy Napier landing him was a spectacular accomplishment, and it sent a message that things might be about to turn around really quickly in Gainesville.
Raymond said that he decided to join Napier’s staff because of what he had witnessed from Napier in the past. Raymond grew up in the Lafayette area, so he knows just how hard it is to win big and win consistently at a school that plays second fiddle to LSU even within its own city. He also was impressed with the way that Napier’s wide receivers challenged his defensive backs when Napier worked at Alabama.
“There were times his guys were going to be ready; my guys were going to be ready,” Raymond said. “So, we had a competitive thing with each other. Coach, also, he’s a really good man. So, he’s competitive, and he’s a good man. The opportunity came for me to come here, and everything was right. It was right for me to come here. Everybody did what they were supposed to do at the other school. I did what was best for me.”
Raymond later indicated that new LSU head coach Brian Kelly didn’t make an effort to retain him.
“Both parties needed to split,” he said. “I had been [at LSU] for 10 years, and they wanted to go another direction, and I hope they do good, just not against Florida. I always say it like this – I feel like it was the best decision I made to come here.”
Regardless of how exactly things went down, Raymond is at UF now, and the Gators stand to benefit from it.
“He’s been through some battles,” Napier said. “He’s played in the big games. He’s coached in the big games. He’s a guy [where] there’s just a certain level of wisdom and experience when it comes to coaching players, and you’ve been through it before. You’ve seen a lot of players evolve through the years. There’s no panic there. He’s kind of a smooth veteran. He knows what he’s doing, and he’s confident in his process, and I certainly appreciate that.
“I know the players respect him because he’s very good at what he does. He has a pedigree. He has a track record. The more you get to know Corey, the more you get to know he cares about people. He does a good job communicating with his guys, and he’s a fantastic teacher. Fundamentals are critical if you want to be successful as an individual player and as a team, and Corey is as good as they come teaching the basic fundamentals of defensive backs.”
Raymond inherited a group that has some excellent talent but has underachieved as a unit over the past couple of years.
Jason Marshall was one of the highest-ranked cornerbacks in the 2021 class, and he started six games as a freshman. Avery Helm is one of the most athletic players on the team, and he didn’t give up a touchdown last year. Jaydon Hill was in line to start last season before he tore an ACL in fall camp.
Jalen Kimber might’ve started on Georgia’s national championship defense last year if not for a shoulder injury. Early-enrollee Devin Moore is a very physical player that seems to have a high upside.
Raymond is pleased with the athletic ability of the group, but he’s trying to make them true cornerbacks instead of just amazing athletes. He’s focusing on some of the finer details and fundamentals of playing the position with them this spring. Once they get those things down, the proof is in the pudding as to what will happen next.
“It’s just getting those guys to understand learning how to play the position more than anything,” he said. “It’s not just about going out there and playing. It’s about the position, learning the position, learning the ins and outs of the position in different types of coverage, different types of footwork, where my eyes go. So, it’s just about developing that part of the guys. It’s going to take a little time getting used to me, who I am.
“You’re not going to do the same thing every time. You’re going to have to change up every play when it comes to a different technique and a different coverage that goes through different eye progressions. If you learn how to do that, you take yourself to another level. So, when you get to that level, you already handle the game. You see, most of the guys that I coached, when they go to the next level, they’re ready to play.”
Marshall said that he can already tell that he’s becoming a better player after just five practices with him, especially when it comes to his press coverage technique.
“With his experience, it’s helping everybody in the corners room,” Marshall said. “He is very specific with the details, and that’s what’s helped a lot of us become [good players], not [just] here, but in the NFL and the next level, too.
“You can see the energy from everybody, not just me, but everybody all coming along, getting together and taking the extra time out, studying film, watching practice.”
Perhaps Raymond’s greatest skill as a coach is his ability to relate to his players. Some coaches get worse at recruiting as they get further apart in age from the players that they’re recruiting and coaching. That hasn’t happened with Raymond. He’s 52 and still seems to be in the prime of his career.
He said that interacting with his four children that were born over a span of nearly 20 years has helped him stay in touch with the younger generation.
While being an excellent relationship-builder certainly helps him on the recruiting trail, Raymond said that it also helps him with his current players. He believes that they’ll play better if they know that their coach genuinely cares about them.
Don’t mistake the fatherly role that Raymond takes on for his players as a lack of intensity or competitive fire, however. By his own admission, he is a tough person to get along with on the field.
As an example, during Thursday’s practice, a cornerback lined up in the end zone, a major no-no unless you’re in a goal-line situation. Raymond let him know that lining up in the end zone is unacceptable.
“That’s something you shouldn’t do,” he said. “That’s field awareness. That’s why I always say to stay in focus. That’s just more mental than physical. That’s more of a mental thing, and the guys just have to understand that.”
But, because the players have a good relationship with him off of the field, they don’t tend to get offended by his hard coaching. They understand that he wants what’s best for them, which sometimes means implementing some tough love.
“It’s not easy in life,” Raymond said. “It’s just preparing them for after football. One day, football’s going to end. ‘Who are you going to be after football ends? Who are you going to be as a man? Because there’s going to be a time where you have to get up and pay your bills, you’ve got to do different things. You’ve got to do it.’ That’s preparing them right now for it.
“Getting guys to understand you’ve got to work every day. It’s not just about working; it’s how you’re working. There’s a difference. You can work hard, but how are you working? How are you working at the position to get better, from in the weight room to on the field to what you are doing studying the game? Those things. Guys are getting that.”
It’ll probably look weird seeing Raymond wearing the Gators logo on his chest for a while, but Raymond has no regrets about the way that his tenure at LSU came to an end. He’s excited about what the future holds at Florida.
“Blue and orange is looking good on me,” Raymond said. “I’m in Florida. I recruited the state of Florida. It has a lot of talent. We have a chance to do special things here.”