Florida Gators Assistant Coach Profiles: Who is Austin Armstrong?
Photo: Austin Armstrong; Credit: Alex Shepherd
Billy Napier's arrival in Gainesville last season marked a drastic program overhaul from top to bottom.
Gearing his early focus toward creating an "army" of sorts for his staff, Napier filled several niche positions in an attempt to elicit smooth operation at all levels, on and off the field.
"We're going to hire an army of people here," Napier said on Dec. 5, 2021. "We're going to create an infrastructure not only in the personnel department but also from an on-campus recruiting, creative media, name, image and likeness. We've got a great vision for the organization that we're going to create here."
It resulted in a 48-person support staff paired with the on-field coaches.
Over one year later, change — as expected in the profession — swept through the ranks of his army. Several off-field positions remain vacant deep into the offseason.
And, most notably, defensive coordinator/safeties coach Patrick Toney, wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and tight ends coach William Peagler moved onto new endeavors, trying their hand at the professional level as NFL teams came calling.
Those on-field spots required filling.
Last offseason, All Gators looked at the background, recruiting history, quotes and more of the following returning coaches: Jabbar Juluke, Rob Sale, Darnell Stapleton, Sean Spencer, Mike Peterson, Jay Bateman, Corey Raymond and Mark Hocke.
Now, after the aforementioned personnel movement, we're updating the series by getting to know the three new faces set to grace the Gators' sideline in 2023.
First up is Florida's new defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong.
Background information
Post-graduation from Huntingdon College in 2014, Armstrong burst onto the coaching scene, where he's witnessed a meteoric rise from Division-II positional assistant to SEC defensive coordinator in just under a decade.
The former collegiate linebacker began coaching at West Georgia as an assistant defensive line coach. Upgrading quickly to defensive graduate assistant at Louisiana-Lafayette in 2017, Armstrong survived the coaching turnover to serve on Napier's inaugural staff at UL in 2018.
After just a one-year stint under Napier and defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, Armstrong jumped to the University of Georgia to run quality control for Kirby Smart's defense in 2019. He returned to UL as the inside linebackers coach in 2020, aiding the defensive unit to reach new heights as a dominant force in the Sun Belt.
His rise through the collegiate ranks quickly allowed him to operate a defense of his own at Southern Mississippi.
The experiment for the then 27-year-old brought fruitful returns.
In 2021, Armstrong earned the praise of Alabama head coach Nick Saban after a contest between his Golden Eagles and the Crimson Tide. His defense was likened to those in the SEC by the renowned and well-accomplished UA leader, providing a resounding stamp of approval.
The defensive unit finished No. 42 in total defense, No. 24 in passing defense, No. 15 in turnovers forced and top ten in an assortment of other categories (tackles for loss, sacks, interception, defensive touchdowns, red zone defense, first downs allowed) during the 2022 campaign.
After just two seasons in Hattiesburg, Miss., Armstrong was plucked away by Saban to join his staff in Tuscaloosa (Ala.) as the inside linebackers coach.
However, after occupying the spot for only nine days officially, Armstrong's name arose as the top candidate to take over the Gators' vacant defensive coordinator position, given the familiarity between the two parties from his time at UL with Napier and the ability to maintain the same defensive system to lessen the blow of losing Toney.
Armstrong, accepting the proposal, became the youngest coordinator in the Power Five on Feb. 27. He arrived in Gainesville a week before spring practices began, hitting the ground running to overcome the lost time to start the offseason.
Recruiting History
Given his age, Armstrong possesses limited recruiting experience as the primary or secondary handler for talent.
The early returns on his pursuit of talent seem promising, though, as he's helped reel in three of Florida's eight commits at this stage and played a role in the pledge of edge rusher Sterling Dixon to Alabama despite his short stint there.
Xavier Filsaime, a borderline five-star safety from Texas, highlights Armstrong's recruitment efforts as he operated the point in luring him to Gainesville alongside secondary coach Corey Raymond, according to 247Sports. He also served secondarily in the acquisitions of running back Kahnen Daniels — an occupant of Armstrong's Mississippi region as a Perth (Miss.) native — and safety Josiah Davis.
He also helped secure three-star JUCO cornerback Michael Caraway during his time with the Golden Eagles.
Prospective talents have spoken glowingly of his relatability and energy since he's put on the Gator logo, ranging from players in the defensive trenches to the secondary.
If his short recruitment history indicates long-term success, the Gators' defense should have little problem equipping its depth chart with elite-level pieces to work with in the future.
How's it going?
There isn’t much to glean from Armstrong’s recruiting efforts at this stage. He serves mainly as a secondary member to the bevy of defensive prospects Florida targets while taking larger roles with the priority targets.
However, we can offer a synopsis of his early returns as a coach.
Through the spring, Armstrong's hit the ground running to inject much-needed life into the Gators' defensive unit.
Providing high-energy matched only by defensive line coach Sean Spencer, the former Southern Mississippi DC quickly won over the defensive talent on a personal level despite arriving in Gainesville just days before the spring practice regimen began, especially with the trench monsters.
His evident passion for the game and the players he coaches aided the endeavor.
Operating a scheme similar to Toney's from 2022, Armstrong provides continuity to a unit gasping for air after three straight seasons of poor performance. However, his implementation of further aggression, showing an eagerness to send pressure via traditional blitzes and simulated pressures while deploying multiple fronts and coverages to opposing offenses, will be a notable stylistic difference.
Coincidentally, that tendency in play calling better suits the personnel group Florida's defense has to work with this season and beyond.
As a result, high expectations for improvement loom under the 29-year-old's leadership in 2023.
Quotable
"Austin's got a great temperament about him. I think he's got really good energy, good presence, connects with people well. I think he's a really good teacher. And I think all those things contribute to what I think is a much-improved unit. Now, time will tell, but I think fundamentally, we took a step forward. Alignment, communication, and then just overall attitude and demeanor and play speed, it's got a chance to be a pretty good group." — Billy Napier on Armstrong.
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