Recruit Reaction and Analysis of the Florida Gators Hiring Corey Raymond
Photo: Corey Raymond; Credit: University of Florida athletic association
Billy Napier and the Florida Gators just made one of if not the biggest non-head coaching splash hire of the off-season to this point, bringing in former LSU cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator Corey Raymond to be the Gators' assistant head coach of the defense and cornerback’s coach.
Anybody that has followed college football and recruiting closely is very familiar with Raymond and his track record, not just on the trail but also in developing talent and getting his players to the league.
Raymond has coached the Tigers' secondary in some capacity since 2012, and in that time had landed eight five-star prospects by the 247Sports Composite rankings, including seven defensive backs. But his list does not stop there, Raymond was responsible for landing a total of 38 blue-chip prospects in his tenure as a Tigers assistant: A résumé that is one of the most impressive in the country bar none.
His ace recruiting abilities are a skill that Florida has not had on its coaching staff in quite a long time.
But it’s not just recruiting with Raymond, he is also an excellent developer of the talent he is able to bring in. 11 former Tigers' defensive backs who were coached by Raymond during their time at LSU are currently on active rosters in the NFL, including two of the top safeties in the league, Jamal Adams and Tyrann Mathieu.
Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is on his way to becoming a first-round draft pick in 2022, as well. Barring a drastic turn of events, Stingley will be Raymond's and fourth first-round pick and the 14th draft pick from LSU's secondary since he joined the Tigers' coaching staff.
On a day where the Gators saw several prospects decommit from the 2022 recruiting class, the addition of Raymond overshadowed them all.
It is truly impressive to see Napier identify a coach that seemed like he was never going to leave his alma mater in Baton Rouge and bring him over to Gainesville.
To put it into perspective, AllGators' reached out to a five-star defensive back from the 2023 class, Thompson (Ala.) cornerback Tony Mitchell, to get his reaction about the Gators hiring Raymond and he had this to say: “Great hire, Raymond is the GOAT [greatest of all time].”
In addition, fellow Gators' recruiting targets made their feelings known about the move via social media.
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