Florida moves on from adding former Alabama assistant to staff

The Florida Gators had been heavily linked to current Minnesota Vikings defensive back coach and former Alabama assistant Karl Scott, but On3’s Matt Zenitz reports he will not join Billy Napier’s staff. The initial links tied the potential hire to a co-defensive coordinator role alongside former Louisiana assistant and current Florida co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney.

Billy Napier has continued to add assistants with similar backgrounds to his to compliment the “army” he had built at Louisiana over the past several seasons. Scott filled that mold as a former member of the Alabama staff who worked with the defensive backs from 2018-2020.

While Karl Scott’s future with the Florida Gators is now off the table, it remains unclear where he will land as the Vikings undergo a coaching change and front office shift this offseason.

Florida hires another NFL assistant

Rob Sale and Billy Napier are together again. Florida officially announced Sale as its new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach on Tuesday.

Sale worked as the New York Giants’ offensive line coach this past season after three years at Louisiana under Napier. After starting at the high school level in 2006, Sale headed to Alabama as a strength and condition coach and offensive analyst from 2007-11. While there, he helped the Crimson Tide to two national titles in 2009 and 2011.

McNeese State brought him aboard from 2012-14 as offensive line coach and, eventually, co-offensive coordinator. After one year at Georgia in 2015, Sale worked at Louisiana-Monroe in 2016 and Arizona State in 2017 before landing at Louisiana in 2018.

When Sale and Napier worked together from 2018-20, Louisiana averaged 34.5 points per game and had a 28-11 record. The Ragin’ Cajuns recorded seasons with double-digit wins in 2019-20, the first time the mark had been achieved in school history. Additionally, they won the school’s first Sun Belt championship in 2020.

Sale has his work cut out for him in Gainesville, though. Florida went 6-7 this past year and won just two SEC games. Granted, the offense largely was not the issue in Gainesville this season, as they posted 30.7 points per game and were fourth in yards per contest in the SEC.

Sale departed for the pros this season, but Napier still had immense success, leading to his move to Gainesville. Louisiana went 12-1 before Napier left, and they notched their 13th win the New Orleans bowl.

Napier and Sale are two of the younger bright minds in the game; they both turn 43 in July.