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New Florida football secondary coach Will Harris is looking to build a back end of the defense that’s physical and works together.
The Florida Gators surrendered 20 pass plays of 40 yards or longer, which was worst in the SEC. Some of that had do with miscommunication in the back end, as well as being unable to tackle consistently and contain yards after the catch.
Harris was hired to replace the departed Corey Raymond. At 36, Harris has brought energy to the position group, putting himself up as a tackling dummy in position tackling drills this spring.
“If I’m getting out there with them, they need to feel it and they need to understand this is the mindset we need to have,” Harris said. “So, I’ve been doing it for years.”
As defensive backs coach at Washington in 2021, Harris guided one of the top secondaries in college football. The Huskies allowed just 143.3 yards per game and 6 TDs in that season. Harris developed Washington cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon, who have both gone on to NFL careers.
Last season, Harris worked as an assistant secondary coach in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Him coming from the league, he has a lot of experience, and that’s where I’m trying to go,” Florida starting cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. said. “So, he’s just coaching me and giving me the steps on what I gotta do.”
Here’s a look at UF’s secondary entering the 2024 season:
Florida football cornerbacks
Marshall chose to return to for his senior season, giving Florida an experienced, talented cornerback capable of locking down opposing receivers. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Marshall has started 28 straight games for the Gators and posted a team-high 10 pass breakups last season but had no interceptions.
On the other side, Florida is hopeful that rangy 6-3 junior cornerback Devin Moore can stay healthy for a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-coach-inject-life-florida-080337926.html
Author : The Gainesville Sun
Publish date : 2024-07-22 08:03:37
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