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Mike Peterson returning to alma mater as Florida OLB coach

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•01/06/22•

ZachAbolverdi

On3 image
Mike Peterson/UAA Communications

Mike Peterson is coming home. 

The Gainesville native and former Gator has returned to his alma mater to join Billy Napier’s Florida staff, a source confirmed Tuesday night to Gators Online. Peterson was announced Thursday as outside linebackers coach and alumni liaison.

Peterson has spent the past six seasons as the outside linebackers coach at South Carolina, and also coached defensive ends in 2021. He was the lone holdover on Shane Beamer’s staff and worked under former Florida coach Will Muschamp for seven total years. 

After a 14-year NFL career, Peterson returned to UF in 2013 to finish his degree and worked as an undergraduate assistant coach on the Gators’ strength and conditioning staff. Muschamp promoted Peterson to a full-time position as a strength and conditioning coordinator and then hired him at South Carolina in 2016. 

Peterson played linebacker for the Gators from 1995-98, earning first-team All-SEC and All-America honors as a senior. He was a second-round pick (36th pick overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft and played professionally for the Indianapolis Colts (1999-2002), Jacksonville Jaguars (2003-08) and Atlanta Falcons (2009-12). 

Peterson earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2005 and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a “Gator Great” in 2011.

Peterson and his wife established the Mike Peterson Foundation in 2004. The foundation was constituted in an attempt to support and benefit under-served youth and socio-economically challenged families in Peterson’s hometown of Alachua and his NFL cities of Jacksonville and Atlanta.

Since its inception, the Mike Peterson Foundation has already served over 50,000 youth and families through several community events and programs, most notably the Top Dog Readers Club literacy program at the Grove Park Elementary School in Atlanta.

Napier’s staff taking shape with Mike Peterson hire

Peterson is the seventh full-time assistant coach hired by Napier, with three more still to come.

New York Giants offensive line coach Rob Sale, who worked with Napier at Louisiana, Arizona State and Alabama, and Los Angeles Rams defensive line coach Eric Henderson are reportedly top targets to fill out Florida’s coaching staff.

Napier has announced 33 hires since Dec. 6, including a total of 26 hires to his strength staff and support staff.

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