Florida has let go secondary coach Corey Raymond and defensive line coach Sean Spencer after two seasons with the Gators, Gator Country learned on Monday afternoon.
Raymond, who has been in the coaching industry since 2003, found a ton of success with the LSU Tigers from 2012-2021, including recruiting former stars such as Derek Stingley and Kristian Fulton while with the Tigers. Florida’s hiring of Raymond in 2021 was thought to be a splash hire by many in the media and college football industry.
However, things did not go as smoothly in Gainesville. After taking control of the entire secondary in 2023, Raymond’s Gators ranked 113th in coverage, according to PFF. The inconsistences within the secondary also contributed to Florida ranking 68th in passing yards allowed this season. Florida’s secondary failed to create many turnovers after a promising 2022 season in that department as the Gators totaled just three interceptions and 7 total turnovers, ranking 129th in the FBS in turnovers gained.
“Coach Raymond has a resumé as y’all know,” current defensive back Jaydon Hill said on Raymond. “So being with Coach Raymond is really just picking his brain. He has a lot of things he tries to instill in us to make the game easier for us. So I try to tune into everything he’s saying because I think he’ll help me become a better football player.”
“I think you’ll see a lot more improvements because we had a good system last year,” Raymond told the media ahead of his second year with Florida. “It’s the same system from last year, it was really good, and I think that the guys are growing into it and understanding how to become professionals in it. That’s what’s going to make them better.”
Specner, otherwise known as Coach Chaos, has been in the coaching industry since 1997, serving as an assistant for the New York Giants, Penn State, Vanderbilt across his coaching career. The Gators’ defensive line has struggled to create pressure through two seasons under Spencer, logging just 22 sacks in 2023, T-90th in the FBS.
Depth was a major issue for the Gators in 2022 under Sean Spencer.
“We’ve added some depth, which was kind of a problem last year,” Coach Sean Spencer said. “We had [Gervon] Dexter playing that many snaps and that’s not good for him and it’s not good for us. Now we have a lot more depth.”
In 2023, the Gators added several players along the defensive line through the transfer portal but the Gators still couldn’t get right, grading 75th in run defense and 54th in pressure while contributed to the overall defensive grade of 94th, according to PFF.