Florida Gators lose special teams coach to another school
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators are losing graduate assistant Brandon Taylor to an on-field coaching opportunity with the University of West Georgia. Bruce Feldman was the first to report the news. Taylor will serve as the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach for the West Georgia Wolves.
Taylor joined the Gators as a graduate assistant in 2022. He spent the two previous seasons (2020-2021) as the special teams graduate assistant at LSU. While at Florida, Taylor worked alongside special teams coordinator Chris Couch and was given more responsibility during the 2023 season.
Prior to working with the Tigers, he was a defensive analyst for Jacksonville State in 2019 and a defensive graduate assistant – linebackers for FIU in 2018 and a defensive assistant – linebackers at Louisiana Tech in 2017.
A native of Slidell, La., Taylor made his coaching debut during the 2016 season at Southern University as an offensive assistant – OL / TE’s.
Taylor was a long snapper for five seasons (2011-2015) at FIU appearing 35 career games where he graduated with a bachelor of arts in liberal studies. He later received his master of liberal arts from LSU in 2022.
The Gators also added Joe Houston from the New England Patriots this offseason.
Houston will be a senior analyst for the Gators.
In that role, he’ll be working closely with Chris Couch, Florida’s GameChanger Coordinator under Napier. Their department will handle special teams and situational football.
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Houston has been a special teams assistant with the Patriots since 2020. Before that, Houston, who kicked at Southern California from 2007-10, made coaching stops at schools such as Iowa State and Toledo. He was at Iowa State for four seasons. There, he coached kicker returner Kene Nwangwu, who was All-Big 12.
Florida Gators staff movement this offseason
Just days after the 2023 footballs season ended, Billy Napier fired defensive line coach Sean Spencer and secondary coach Corey Raymond. One day after National Signing Day, linebackers coach Jay Bateman accepted a promotion to be the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M.
Napier hired Ron Roberts as Executive Head Coach, Co-Defensive Coordinator / Inside Linebackers, Gerald Chatman as the defensive line coach, and Will Harris as the secondary coach to fill the vacancies. The Gators also lost co-offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton to the Washington Commanders and will need to fill one more spot to round out its on-field coaching staff.
The Gators will open spring camp on March 7.
