Report: Florida hiring NFL assistant to take over at offensive coordinator

It’s reportedly a reunion for Florida head coach Billy Napier and New York Giants offensive line coach Rob Sale, as Napier is likely hiring his old assistant to run the Gators’ offense. ESPN Giants reporter Jordan Raanan tweeted the news on Tuesday, and Sale has also reportedly informed his position group in New York.

Sale’s first season at the NFL level came in 2021, but he had a multitude of college experience prior to heading north. He was Napier’s offensive coordinator at Louisiana from 2018-20, and he also spent time at Arizona State (while Napier was the offensive coordinator), Georgia, Louisiana-Monroe and McNeese State.

Sale got his start at the Power Five level at Alabama, where he served as a strength and conditioning assistant and offensive analyst from 2007-11. He overlapped with Napier in Tuscaloosa in 2011, and Giants head coach Joe Judge was also at Alabama from 2009-11 with the two coaches.

The Louisiana native played offensive line at LSU.

Former Floirda head coach Dan Mullen served as Florida’s offensive coordinator in addition to his role as head coach last season, so Sale is stepping up in Mullen’s former place.

He has his work cut out for him, as Florida went 6-7 this year and won just two SEC games. Granted, the offense largely was not the issue in Gainesville this season, as they posted 30.7 points per game and were fourth in yards per contest in the SEC. Regardless, morale was low at Florida at the end of Mullen’s tenure, and Napier and Sale will need to flip the script to return the Gators to the top of the nation’s best college football conference.

Sale, Napier led offensive revamp for Ragin’ Cajuns

In the three seasons prior to Sale and Napier’s tenures at Louisiana, the team averaged just 26.1 points per game and the team went 15-22. Once they arrived in 2018, they righted the ship very quickly.

From 2018-20, the Ragin’ Cajuns posted 34.5 points per game and had a 28-11 record. They recorded seasons with double-digit wins in 2019-20, the first time the mark had been achieved in school history. Additionally, they won the school’s first Sun Belt championship in 2020.

Sale departed for the pros this season, but Napier still had immense success, leading to his move to Gainesville. Louisiana went 12-1 before Napier left, and they notched their 13th win the New Orleans bowl.

Napier and Sale are two of the younger bright minds in the game; they both turn 43 in July.