Report: Florida Gators Hiring Jay Bateman as ILB Coach
Photo: Jay Bateman; Credit: goheels.com
Billy Napier's debut Florida Gators' on-field coaching staff is, reportedly, complete. The Gators are set to hire Jay Bateman as the program's inside linebackers coach, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.
Bateman, 48, most recently spent three seasons at North Carolina as the Tar Heels' defensive coordinator, although the coach and the school agreed to part ways in early January. Prior to his time in Chapel Hill, Bateman was the defensive coordinator for Army, Ball State, and Elon. He also has head coaching experience from his time at Siena College in the early 2000s.
In addition to his coordinator duties, Bateman also coached safeties for the Tar Heels, although he has eight years of experience coaching linebackers at previous stops.
During his time at North Carolina, Bateman is credited with helping land the No. 7 interior defensive lineman in the class of 2022 (per Sports Illustrated All-American) Keeshawn Silver, and other top recruits such as defensive end Desmond Evans, wide receiver Andre Greene Jr., linebacker RaRa Dillworth, and safety Ja'Qurious Conley.
Below, you can find Florida's entire on-field coaching staff as announced by the university, with reported hires that have yet to be finalized noted by an asterisk.
Florida Gators on-field coaching staff
Head coach/quarterbacks: Billy Napier
Offensive line/offensive coordinator: Rob Sale
Running backs/associate head coach - offense: Jabbar Juluke
Wide receivers: Keary Colbert
Tight ends: William Peagler
Asst. offensive line: Darnell Stapleton
Defensive line/co-defensive coordinator: Sean Spencer*
Outside linebackers/alumni liaison: Mike Peterson
Inside linebackers: Jay Bateman*
Cornerbacks/associate head coach - defense: Corey Raymond
Safeties/co-defensive coordinator: Patrick Toney
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