The new coaching staff for Florida football coach Jon Sumrall is starting to take shape.
The 43-year-old Sumrall continued to coach Tulane as the Green Wave qualified for the College Football Playoff as the 11th seed. They faced six-seed Ole Miss on Saturday, Dec. 20, falling 41-10.
Sumrall made it clear during his opening press conference that staff decisions for the Florida Gators won’t be made solely on personal relationships, but on what fits best for the task at hand.
“I don’t hire a staff off of who are my buddies,” Sumrall said. “I hire a staff based upon what is the absolute best group of people we can put together to serve and develop our players and win championships at that place.”
Sumrall received a budget of $16.45 million to hire coaches on offense, defense and special teams that could best put UF in position to compete against a challenging SEC schedule.
Here’s a look at the staff movement for the Gators since Sumrall was hired on Sunday, Nov. 30:
Florida football set to hire Auburn WR coach Marcus Davis as its new WR coach
Florida is set to hire Auburn’s Marcus Davis is its new wide receiver coach. Davis recruited and developed standout Auburn receivers Eric Singleton Jr. (58 catches, 534 yards, 3 TDs) and Cam Coleman (56 catches, 708 yards, 5 TDs) last season,
Florida football set to hire Duke RB coach Chris Foster as new RB coach
Florida is set to hire Duke running backs coach Chris Foster as its new running back coach.
Duke RB coach Chris Foster emerging as candidate for Florida football RB coach job
Duke running back coach Chris Foster has emerged as a candidate for the Florida football running back coach job, according to USA Today Network sources. Under Foster, Duke running backs Nate Sheppard and Anderson Castle combined to rush for 1,475 yards and 21 TDs in 2025.
Florida football filling out staff with more hires from Tulane
Florida is set to fill out its staff with more hires from Tulane, bringing in former Gator Bam Hardmon as outside linebackers coach, Johnathan Galante as special teams coordinator,, Co-OC/offensive line coach Evan McKissack as tight ends coach and strength coach Rusty Whitt as strength coach, according to multiple reports.
Florida football hiring Tulane OC, DC to position coach jobs
Florida is set to hire Tulane offensive coordinator Joe Craddock as its new quarterbacks coach and Tulane defensive coordinator Greg Gasparato as its new defensive line coach, sources confirmed to the Sun. The Green Wave were knocked out of the College Football Playoff following a 41-10 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, December 20.
Former Texas RB coach interviewing for Florida football RB coaching position
Former Texas running backs coach Chad Scott is set to interview for the Florida football running back coach position, according to a report from Football Scoop. Scott was the running backs and an interim head coach at West Virginia from 2019-24 before joining Texas’s staff in 2025.
Gerald Chatman returning as Florida football DL coach, assistant HC
Florida made it official that Gerald Chatman is returning as defensive line coach and will take on the title of assistant head coach. Chatman worked briefly with Sumrall at Tulane and spent two years as DL coach at UF under former coach Billy Napier.
Florida football targeting Kentucky DB coach, Auburn WR coach
Florida is targeting Kentucky defensive backs coach Chris Collins to coach safeties and Auburn wide receivers coach Marcus Davis, according to reports from Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.
Florida football set to hire Brandon Harris as new DB coach
Florida is set to hire former UCF DB coach Brandon Harris as its new defensive backs coach, according to a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Under Harris, UCF’s secondary contributed to a pass defense that ranked 25th nationally, allowing 185.1 yards per game.
Florida football set to hire Phil Trautwein as offensive line coach
Florida is set to hire Phil Trautwein as its new offensive line coach, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Trautwein was a two-time, All-SEC left tackle at UF from 2004-08 whose prior coaching experience includes stints as an offensive line coach at Boston College (2018-19) and Penn State (2020-25)
Tulane targeting Florida football offensive coordinator Russ Callaway
Tulane is targeting Florida football offensive coordinator Russ Callaway for its offensive coordinator position, according to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos. Callaway began as an offensive analyst at Florida in 2022 before working his way up to tight ends coach and then tight ends coach/offensive coordinator before the start of the 2025. Despite holding the title of offensive coordinator, Callaway didn’t call plays for the Gators during the 2025 season.
Florida football meets with Derrick Nix about RB coach position
Sumrall met with Derrick Nix over the last two days in Gainesville to discuss the running backs position opening. Nix, 45, was the running backs coach at Auburn last season and has prior experience in the SEC as the running backs and wide receivers coach at Ole Miss from 2008-23.
Florida football hire of OC Buster Faulkner now official
Florida announces the hiring of Buster Faulkner as offensive coordinator on Dec. 11.
“Buster is one of the most innovative offensive coaches in football and I couldn’t be happier for him to join our staff,” Sumrall said. “Throughout his impressive career, not only has Buster led some of the highest-scoring offenses in the country, but he’s also shown the ability to design and implement his offenses to the strengths of his players. There is not a doubt in my mind that Buster will have our offense lighting up the scoreboard.”
Phil Trautwein interviews for Florida football OL coach job
Former Florida offensive lineman Phil Trautwein has interviewed to the offensive line coaching job at UF, a source confirmed to The Sun on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Trautwein was a two-time, All-SEC tackle at UF from 2004-08 and has gone to a successful coaching career that included stints as an offensive line coach at Boston College (2018-19) and Penn State (2020-25).
Gerald Chatman staying as Florida football DL coach
Florida is keeping Gerald Chatman as its defensive line coach, according to multiple reports. Chatman worked briefly for Sumrall at Tulane before being hired by Florida in 2023 to replace Sean Spencer.
Under Chatman, Florida’s defensive line spurred a defense that averaged 2.17 sacks per game (ninth in the SEC) and 17 takeaways (tied for sixth in the SEC).
Chatman, who interviewed for the Chicago Bears defensive line coaching position last year, is set to make $850,000 this upcoming season, per terms of his contract.
Florida football RB coach Jabbar Juluke being pursued by Kentucky, Texas
Florida running backs coach Jabbar Juluke is reportedly being targeted by Kentucky and Texas, according to a report from CBSSports.com’s Matt Zenitz.
Under Juluke’s guidance, Florida running back Jadan Baugh enjoyed a breakout sophomore season, finishing third in the SEC in rushing with 1,170 yards and 8 TDs. But Juluke also was suspended for three games during the 2025 for striking a player during a pregame brawl with LSU on Sept. 13.
Florida football WR coach Billy Gonzales not returning
Florida wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales is not returning to UF, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.
Gonzales served as interim coach for UF when Billy Napier was fired on Oct. 19 and was 1-4, with the lone win coming against rival FSU, 40-21, on Saturday, Nov. 29.
Florida football set to hire Buster Faulkner as offensive coordinator
Florida football is set to hire Buster Faulkner as its new offensive coordinator, according to a report from ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel.
Under Faulkner, Georgia Tech’s offense ranks 12th nationally and second in the ACC this season, averaging 466.3 yards per game.
Florida football hires Brad White as defensive coordinator
Florida football has hired Kentucky’s Brad White as its new defensive coordinator. White was the defensive coordinator at UK from 2019-25 and worked with Sumrall from 2019-21 when Sumrall was Kentucky’s linebackers coach.
Under White, Kentucky’s defense ranked 20th nationally in 2019 (322.2 ypg), 25th nationally in 2021 (340.7) and 12th nationally in 2022 (311.4 ypg). White became available when Kentucky fired head coach Mark Stoops on Nov. 30, replacing him with Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein.
Florida football hired Dave Caldwell at General Manager
Florida has hired Dave Caldwell as its new general manager. The 51-year-old Caldwell brings NFL experience as the former GM of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2013-20 and former personnel executive with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2021-25.
Caldwell and Sumrall will work collaboratively on recruiting, transfer portal and staff decisions.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football coaching staff tracker — Who is joining Jon Sumrall?
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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