Homecoming: Mike Peterson brings his 'coach's creed' back to UF

Mike Peterson didn’t realize he wanted to coach until the tail end of his NFL career. 

Former Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith, who was Peterson’s defensive coordinator in Jacksonville, would not only have his starting inside linebacker make the calls on the field, but in position meetings as he presented the defense for that week. 

“It kind of grew onto me,” Peterson said, “and I started getting into that role.” 

During his final four years in Atlanta, Peterson said his role shifted from a starter playing 90-100 percent of the snaps to an older veteran who was mentoring and teaching the younger players. 

“I just kind of fell into this, man. And I love it,” he said. 

After retiring from the NFL, Peterson returned to Florida in 2013 where he finished his degree while working as undergraduate assistant coach on the strength and conditioning staff. Upon graduation, he was named to a full-time position as a strength and conditioning coordinator.

While working in the weight room, Peterson got the itch to coach on the field. 

“I wanted to do more when I became a strength coach,” he said. “It was like, ‘I can do this.’ You always think about coaches and, ‘Oh, I need to be this, I need to be that.’ Then you come around and watch them and say, ‘I can do this. This is me.’” 

Peterson, a Gainesville native and Gator Great, hoped to begin his coaching career at his alma mater. He played linebacker for UF from 1995-98, earning first-team All-SEC and All-America honors as a senior.

But Peterson’s first coaching opportunity would come at South Carolina with former UF coach Will Muschamp, who gave him some advice about leaving the Gators football program. 

“At the time, I wanted to be here. He told me, ‘Sometimes you have to leave home to come back home.’ I didn’t know what that meant at the time,” said Peterson, who had been retained on the strength staff by Jim McElwain. 

“Everything happens for a reason.” 

Peterson spent the past six seasons as the outside linebackers coach at South Carolina, and also coached defensive ends in 2021 after being the lone holdover on Shane Beamer’s staff. 

However, once he saw the coaching changes happening in Gainesville last year, the possibility of returning quickly became a reality. Before long, he was on the phone with Florida’s Billy Napier about becoming his outside linebackers coach. 

“It was kind of one of those moments where I hope I get a call, but if I do, it’s gonna be really, really hard because it’s gonna be hard for me to say no,” Peterson said. “So it happened quick. He called and we both had mutual friends. 

“I did my homework on him and I’m pretty sure he did his homework on me. It was an easy, simple process, man. So, it wasn’t too much the other place could say or do to keep me. This is home.”

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Mike Peterson’s homecoming

Though Peterson is well-known in the Gainesville community and throughout Gator Nation, his new players didn’t know about his background or career. UF outside linebacker Antwaun Powell recently recognized a picture of his position coach in the football facility. 

“I was walking by and he kind of glanced over, ‘Coach, that’s you?’ I was on the wall in the hall,” Peterson noted. “I said, ‘Yeah, that used to be me.’ So, I don’t think they have a clue, but it’s OK. You know me, it’s fine. I’m not one to toot my horn. I could care less if they know who the player Mike Peterson was as long as they know the coach is.”

Who is Mike Peterson the coach? Well, allow him to explain. 

“The Mike P coach’s creed,” he said. “The first thing, every kid I coach — and I’m 100 percent with this right now — is going to get their degree. No. 2 is, I’m going to turn them from boys to men. I’m going to teach ’em. We’re gonna learn how to tie a tie. We’re gonna learn how to save our money. We’re gonna learn how to talk to girls. We’re gonna learn how to be a husband. We’re gonna learn how to be a boyfriend. You know what I mean? 

“No. 3 is, I’m gonna teach you football. We’re gonna learn ball. We’re gonna learn the game of football. So, that’s kind of my little coach’s creed. That’s kind of my three things of what I stand on. My last thing is I tell them, ‘Play hard and have fun.’ It’s still a game, so play hard and have fun.”

How have the players responded to Peterson’s coaching style? He’s already gained their respect according to Powell and Brenton Cox Jr., but now he’s earning their trust in spring ball.

“As a new coach, that’s one thing you always worry about. But I think the respect factor is kind of playing a big part in it. I respect them and they respect me,” Peterson said. “I’m pretty sure they kind of can feel the genuineness. I love the game and I told them when I first got here, ‘I don’t expect you to trust me now.’ 

“My job is to build that trust and that’s what I’m working on now. And I think they see that. Eventually one day I want to be able to say, ‘Run through that wall’ and 6-7 of my guys, however many I got, they take off running.”

Peterson inherits an outside linebacker group led by Cox, who had a team-high 8.5 sacks last season. The OLBs played the ‘Buck’ position in the previous scheme, which was the same terminology Peterson used coaching with Muschamp.

It’s now called the ‘Jack’ position under co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney. 

“It’s kind of growing on me right now. They call them the Jack Boys,” Peterson said. “You’re going to blitz him a lot. You’re going to see him drop into coverage. You’re going to go see him play the run. As a college kid, I’d say it’s the ideal position that I would love to come play in.”