Florida hires former USC standout as wide receivers coach
Billy Napier continues to add impressive names to his staff at Florida. Wednesday afternoon, the Gators announced their new wide receivers coach.
Keary Colbert, who played at USC from 2000-03, is headed to Gainesville as Florida’s new wide receivers coach, the program announced Wednesday. Colbert spent the last three years at his alma mater as the wide receivers coach.
Colbert was a two-time All-Pac-12 nominee at USC and helped the Trojans to the 2003 national championship. After playing in the NFL and the United Football League, he returned to USC as a graduate assistant in 2010.
Colbert got even more national championship experience under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2014-15 as an offensive analyst. While there, he worked with Napier, who was Alabama’s wide receivers coach.
After the Crimson Tide won the 2015 title, he went back to USC once again as an analyst from 2016-17. From there, he worked his way up to tight ends coach in 2018 and wide receivers coach from 2019-21.
Florida went 6-6 this season and fired former coach Dan Mullen before the final game of the year against Florida State. The Gators are gearing up for the Gasparilla Bowl against UCF on Dec. 23.
Billy Napier continues to put together a solid staff at Florida
Napier has brought in quite a staff as he gets going at Florida.
Last week, Florida announced Jamar Chaney would be joining the Gators as a defensive analyst.
Chaney spent the 2019 season as an assistant director of player personnel for Florida. He entered the coaching ranks in 2016, taking over St. Lucie West Centennial High School in Florida, his alma mater. He remained the head coach there through 2018, leading the program to its first playoff appearance in seven seasons.
He was part of a Mike Leach-led staff that directed the Bulldogs to a 7-5 record and Liberty Bowl bid this season. With Chaney as the senior defensive analyst, Mississippi State finished an impressive fourth in the SEC in total defense.
Chaney’s hiring came a few days after Florida officially announced Corey Raymond was leaving LSU to become the Gators’ cornerbacks coach and assistant head coach.
Florida issued an formal announcement filled will Raymond’s numerous impressive accomplishments. He has produced seven first-team All-Americans and 14 NFL Draft picks, including three first-round selections. Additionally, former LSU safety Grant Delpit won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2019, the honor given to the nation’s top defensive back.
On3’s Chandler Vessels and Ashton Pollard contributed to this report.