The Florida Gators’ coaching staff was already altered going into their bowl game versus Tulane, as defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong left for the same role at Houston.
Billy Napier, the head coach of UF, made his first public remarks regarding Armstrong’s departure after two seasons with the Gators on Tuesday.
“Yeah, well, first of all, congratulations to Austin,” he replied.”It’s clearly getting an opportunity to lead the group and call the defence, in my opinion. We were really helpful in that respect, and I believe that’s his passion.”
Armstrong, who signed a three-year, $3.6 million contract when hired by UF, only called plays on defence for his first season in 2023, although serving as defensive coordinator for two seasons. The Gators had the No. 75 scoring defence (27.6 points per game) and the No. 69 total defence (382.3 yards per game) that season.
Napier appointed former Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts as the team’s executive head coach, co-defensive coordinator, and inside linebackers coach as a result of the difficulties and other personnel decisions.
Later, it was discovered that Roberts had also assumed the role of full-time defensive play caller, spending the majority of games alongside Armstrong in the booth.
The team experienced a remarkable turnaround halfway through the season with midseason victories over UCF and Kentucky, strong performances in close losses to playoff teams Tennessee and Georgia, and three straight victories to end the regular season. However, the changes weren’t immediate as the Gator defence struggled mightily through three of the first four games.
The Gator defence only gave up 14.6 points per game, sacked the quarterback 19 times, and had nine takeaways in victories over Florida State, Ole Miss, and LSU that helped Florida go from a 4-5 record to a 7-5 finish.
Florida will now turn the page and find a replacement for Armstrong. It’s unclear how Napier will want to fill Armstrong’s spot and whether that will even be on the defensive staff, given that Roberts has one year remaining on his contract and is now in charge of calling defence plays and coaching positions.
Napier remarked, “I think all that is to be determined,” “After trying to finish the bowl game, I believe we’ll take a fresh breath and assess our current situation. However, we’re happy for Austin and appreciate all of his efforts here.”
The 2024 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl between Florida and Tulane begins at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
