Report: Karl Scott Will Not Join Gators Staff As Co-Defensive Coordinator

An expected splash hire for the Florida Gators staff has fallen through.

According to Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports, the rumored addition of Minnesota Vikings defensive backs coach Karl Scott to Billy Napier's first staff is no longer on the table.

An update on Florida’s staff:

Minnesota Vikings DB coach and former Alabama assistant Karl Scott had been linked to the Gators in a co-DC role but, per sources, will not end up being part of Florida’s staff.https://t.co/PtjjA84ypq
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 12, 2022

Scott was reportedly offered the gig as co-defensive coordinator alongside Patrick Toney and stood as a major piece in Napier's efforts to construct a high-caliber staff in his first year as a Power Five head coach.

Serving in the NFL for just one season, Scott worked in the SEC for three seasons under Nick Saban. As the Crimson Tide’s cornerbacks coach from 2018 to 2020, Scott notably aided the development of Denver Broncos first-rounder Patrick Surtain II and Dallas Cowboys second-round pick Trevon Diggs.

Both of whom have shown flashes of promise in their early professional careers.

As a recruiter, Scott aided Alabama’s dedicated efforts to continually bring in the top players at every position from around the country. Landing commitments from Surtain, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and Jordan Battle to bolster his secondary as a primary recruiter — and the top offensive lineman in 2021 Tommy Brockermeyer — Scott has proven his worth on and off the field at the collegiate level.

It was rumored that he — alongside two other NFL position coaches (including newly named offensive line coach Rob Sale) — would make their way to UF following the 2021 season’s conclusion. Unfortunately for Napier, Scott will head elsewhere.

Napier will scramble to find a viable replacement to join Toney to lead the Gators defense into the future. Simultaneously, he'll play host to a bevy of high school prospects on campus — highlighted by defensive targets Harold Perkins and Jacoby Mathews — in January as the sun sets on the 2022 recruitment cycle.

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