Report: Corey Raymond Named Florida's Secondary Coach
Photo: Corey Raymond; Credit: Alex Shepherd
Florida is handing the keys to its entire secondary to cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond, according to Jacob Rudner of Swamp247.
Per the report, Florida had planned to make this move before defensive coordinator and safeties coach Patrick Toney left the team to join the Arizona Cardinals earlier this week.
Raymond joined the Gators as a member of Billy Napier's inaugural coaching staff in Dec. 2021 after spending ten years on staff at his alma mater, LSU, where he served numerous defensive backs coaching roles and eventually took over recruiting coordinator duties.
With the Tigers, Raymond emerged as one of the nation's most respected assistant coaches in college football. He was credited for pulling eight five-star prospects to LSU per the 247Sports Composite rankings. He also developed cornerbacks Derek Stingley and Tre'Davious White and safeties Jamal Adams and Eric Reid into first-round NFL Draft selections.
When LSU moved on from head coach Ed Orgeron to Brian Kelly in late 2021, then-new Florida head coach Billy Napier swooped in to secure Raymond's services and awarded him the title of assistant head coach of the defense in addition to cornerback coaching duties.
Raymond immediately made an impact on the recruiting trail upon joining the Gators. First, Raymond played a large part in Florida's late surge to sign coveted safety Kamari Wilson and flip Notre Dame cornerback commit Devin Moore within weeks of joining the program at the end of the 2022 cycle.
UF proceeded to sign six defensive backs in the class of 2023 — cornerbacks Ja'Keem Jackson, Dijon Johnson and Aaron Gates, nickel corner Sharif Denson, and safeties Jordan Castell and Bryce Thornton — with Raymond involved in each recruitment.
And while Florida's defense as a whole, specifically the passing defense, struggled as a whole in 2022, the Gators' current group of cornerbacks flashed promise under Raymond's leadership.
Sophomore Jason Marshall Jr. took on a full-time starting role in 2022 and posted an interception, eight pass breakups and a completion percentage allowed of 56.3% (per Pro Football Focus). He did not allow a touchdown across 48 season-long targets.
After missing the 2021 campaign with a torn ACL, the second time he's suffered such an injury in his career, redshirt sophomore Jaydon Hill returned midseason and posted two interceptions, including a pick-six, in his second appearance of the year.
Moore cracked the rotation as a true freshman after impressing during offseason training camps, tallying 24+ defensive snaps in the first five weeks of the season before going down with a year-ending injury. He collected six tackles before suffering the wound.
Backup and former Georgia transfer Jalen Kimber even rose to the occasion in Week 3 against USF, recording a crucial pick-six with a broken left hand that extended Florida's lead to two touchdowns before halftime.
Raymond takes over a defensive back room in flux, as Florida lost four defensive backs to the transfer portal and starting safeties Trey Dean III and Rashad Torrence II to the 2023 NFL Draft this offseason. Raymond's résumé suggests he's the man to restore order in the Gators' secondary, and his recruiting efforts over the last year have laid a solid foundation for the future.
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