Former Gators DC Patrick Toney Expected to Make Jump Back to NFL

Former Florida Gators defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, once again, is on the move. After recently being hired as the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss, Toney is expected to depart from the Rebels to be the defensive passing game coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons, according to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz.

Toney is recently coming off a three-year stint as a defensive backs coach with the Arizona Cardinals.

The #Falcons are expected to hire Ole Miss defensive coordinator Patrick Toney as defensive pass game coordinator, sources tell @CBSSports.

Highly respected defensive mind in coaching circles. Pre-Ole Miss, was a DB coach for the Cardinals and DC at Florida. pic.twitter.com/jFFBOSbiFo
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 27, 2026

Should the hiring be finalized, Toney will be the newest hire on Kevin Stefanski's first staff as the Falcons head coach. Stefanski has tabbed Jeff Ulbrich as the defensive coordinator, with Justin Hood (secondary) and Ricky Manning (assistant defensive backs/nickels) coaching the defensive backs.

Toney was recently hired to be Pete Golding's first official defensive coordinator. Golding enters his first full season as the head coach after leading the Rebels through the postseason last year, a move that came as a result of Lane Kiffin's departure to LSU. With Toney now expected to leave, Golding is expected to call defensive plays while being the head coach.

Florida hosts Ole Miss on Sept. 26.

Before his hiring at Ole Miss, Toney spent three seasons with the Cardinals as the defensive backs coach. In his first two seasons, Arizona ranked in the top half of the league in passing defense (14th, 216.1 yards per game in 2024;13th, 212.5 yards per game in 2023) but took a step back in 2025 by ranking 24th in the league with 230.8 yards allowed per game.

Toney is also an extensive member of the Billy Napier and Ron Roberts coaching trees.

Toney was Napier's first defensive coordinator at Florida after being the defensive coordinator at Louisiana the previous two seasons. That 2022 season, however, left a lot to be desired from Toney's defense, with the Gators ranking 87th in scoring defense (28.8 points) and 97th in total defense (411 yards per game).

He left Florida after one season and was replaced by Austin Armstrong. In 2024, Florida hired Roberts, another one of Toney's former head coaches, to run its defense. Toney's first college job came during a three-year stint at Southeastern Louisiana, whose head coach was Roberts.

Roberts was then the defensive coordinator at Lousiana under Napier from 2018-19 with Toney serving as the safeties coach. Toney was elevated to defensive coordinator after Roberts' departure to Baylor.

Napier, of course, is now the head coach at James Madison after his firing from Florida, while Roberts is now the defensive coordinator at Arkansas after not being retained by new head coach Jon Sumrall.