The Florida Gators lost a coach on Wednesday afternoon, as defensive line coach Bryant Young stepped down for non-football reasons.
“After heavy consideration and giving over two decades to the game of football, I have made a personal decision to resign from my position at the University of Florida in order to pursue more time with my family.” Young said in a statement released by the university.
Young was a part of Will Muschamp’s inaugural staff in 2011 and spent the past two seasons as the defensive line coach while primarily working with the interior linemen.
Young was an All-Pro defensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers. He spent his entire 14-year career with the team and his position coach was former Florida defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn.
Head coach Will Muschamp released a statement today, thanking Young for his work while on the staff.
“We are very thankful for Coach Young’s contributions to the program and I respect his decision.” Muschamp said. “This is strictly a personal decision and has nothing to do with NCAA compliance, but just an opportunity to evaluate his future path. I always have, and will continue to be very supportive of Coach Young and his family. Our entire staff will be there for him to provide any assistance and guidance in the future. We wish he and his family nothing but the best.”
While Young has dedicated most of his life to the game of football, he now feels that it is time to focus on his family.
“I have come to the realization that it is time to invest more in my family during this fleeting season in life. I have truly loved my time being a Gator, enjoyed a great working relationship with Coach Muschamp and will also miss the dedicated staff at this University.” Young said. “I am extremely thankful for the opportunity and support I have received from Coach Muschamp, Jeremy Foley and the entire athletic department.”
With his NFL pedigree, Young has been a vital part of the Gators recruiting efforts. Young is credited for being the primary recruiter for 2013 JUCO defensive tackle Jarran Reed and DT Caleb Brantley. This season Young was the primary recruiter for DT Anthony Moten, OLB Jacob Pugh, DT Lamont Gaillard, DT Khairi Clark and DT Andrew Brown.
Moving forward, Brad Lawing is likely to take over the defensive line duties. Lawing was an assistant coach/defensive line coach at South Carolina for the past seven years and joined the staff at Florida, with the same title, this offseason.