Alex Watkins has joined the Gators’ staff as an assistant strength and conditioning coach, head coach Billy Napier announced on Friday.
He worked at Mississippi State for the last two seasons as a strength and conditioning coach. Prior to that, he was the assistant director of athletic performance for football at UAB in 2019.
Watkins also headed the strength and conditioning programs at Stillman College from 2014-16 and at Texas Southern from 2016-18.
He played on the defensive line at Alabama from 2007-11 and won two national championships, the second of which came in 2011 when Napier was an analyst for the program.
He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans in 2012 and also played for a year with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
Watkins will work under the supervision of Director of Football Strength and Conditioning Mark Hocke alongside fellow assistants Karmichael Dunbar and Edward Thompson and Director of Player Athletic Development Joe Danos.