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Will Harris comments on his Florida departure

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•about 18 hours•

On3Keith

Will-Harris-Florida-Gators-Trikweze-Bridges
Maddie Washburn/Florida Athletics

One day after leaving his position as cornerbacks coach at Florida for arch-rival Miami, Will Harris released a statement on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, about his departure. In it he gave thanks to a few people in Gainesville and spoke of the “love” he had for the secondary room, but noted “business is business.”

“First and foremost, I would like to thank Billy Napier and Scott Stricklin for giving me the opportunity to coach at The University of Florida,” Harris said in his statement. “Billy – As they say, the ones who bleed together are brothers. We went through the trenches last year and pulled out one hell of a finish. With that being said, I understand business is business, and you have to do what you believe is best for the University of Florida’s football program. I appreciate you.

Mr. Stricklin – I appreciate you always providing an open door policy and your transparency and willingness to listen. I’ll definitely miss our good convos. Gator Nation – Love me or hate me, I understand. Either way, it was one cool ass season. Again, business is business.

To my guys –  Love is an understatement. Nothing can break our bonds. When you’ve stacked bricks together, they could never be knocked down. All in all, you must all know – I am excited and blessed to step forward into this next opportunity.”

 Harris, who joined the Florida program in December 2023, produced solid results both on the field and the recruiting trail with the Gators. He came to Gainesville after spending a year with the Los Angeles Chargers of the NFL as an assistant secondary coach and quickly made an impact for Napier’s program.

Last season, Harris’s secondary played a big role in Florida’s late-season surge and 8-5 finish. Per FloridaGators.com, “As a unit, the Florida defense finished the season ranked ninth in the nation in red zone defense (.725), 11th in sacks per game (3.0), 11th in fumbles recovered (11) and 13th in turnovers gained (25). The Gator defense improved in nearly every statistical category from 2023 to 2024, including sacks (+17), tackles for loss (+28), forced fumbles (+11), pass breakups (+12), interceptions (+11) and turnovers gained (+18).”

The secondary had to overcome numerous injuries, too. Multiple Florida starters missed playing time during the course of the season. Harris also made a huge impact on the recruiting trail as the Gators landed three top-100 national recruits in the secondary. 

Whom might Florida and Napier choose to replace Harris? Here’s a look at some possible candidates on the Gators Online Hot Board.

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