Billy Napier announces Chris Couch as GameChanger Coordinator
Gators coach Billy Napier announced Friday that Chris Couch will join his staff as a GameChanger coordinator. In his role as an analyst, he will focus on the special teams unit.
A native of Milledgeville, Ga., Couch spent the 2021 season with Napier at Louisiana as special teams coordinator and the director of quality control & analytics.
Nationally, the Ragin’ Cajuns ranked ninth in net punting, tied-for-10th in blocked kicks, 15th in punting average and 17th in kickoff return defense during Couch’s lone season in Lafayette. At the conference level, UL had the best kick return defense and net punting, while ranking fourth in kick return yardage.
Prior to joining the Ragin’ Cajuns, Couch spent five seasons at Tulane (2016-20), where he worked as the special teams analyst and recruiting coordinator. During his last three seasons at Tulane, the Green Wave ranked in the top half of the American Athletic Conference and top-50 nationally in both kick and punt returns.
Prior to Tulane, Couch served as a special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at Point University (2015), a defensive graduate assistant at Georgia Southern (2013-14) and the slot backs coach at Missouri Southern State University (2012).
Couch earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Georgia Southern in 2011 and his master’s degree in high education administration from Georgia Southern in 2015.
Chris Couch joins Napier’s Army
Couch is the 44th hire by Napier and the 28th off-the-field staffer.
Sean Spencer (co-defensive coordinator/defensive line), Patrick Toney (co-defensive coordinator/safeties), Corey Raymond (cornerbacks), Mike Peterson (outside linebackers) and Jay Bateman (inside linebackers) are the defensive coaches on staff.
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Rob Sale (offensive coordinator/offensive line), Jabbar Juluke (running backs), Darnell Stapleton (offensive line), Keary Colbert (receivers) and William Peagler (tight ends) round out the coaching staff.
A pair of analysts who will assist the on-field coaches are Ryan O’Hara (quarterbacks – Napier) and Jamar Chaney (linebackers – Peterson).
Additionally, Napier has tapped Mark Hocke to run the strength and conditioning program. Hocke will be joined by Joe Danos, Karmichael Dunbar, Tiger Jones, Edward Thompson and Alex Watkins.
RELATED: What strength coach Mark Hocke will bring to Gators’ offseason program
“We’re going to hire an army of people here. We’re going to create an infrastructure not only in the personnel department but also from on-campus recruiting, creative media, name, image, and likeness. We’ve got a great vision for the organization that we’re going to create here,” Napier said during his introductory press conference.
