Corey Raymond finalizes contract extension with Florida

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•03/16/23•

ZachAbolverdi

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida assistant head coach Corey Raymond has reached a contract extension with the Gators, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz. Raymond has finalized a new deal that runs through January 2025, Zenitz reported on Thursday.

After 10 years at his alma mater, LSU, where he produced seven first team All-Americans and 14 NFL Draft picks, Raymond came to Florida last season as the cornerbacks coach and assistant head coach on defense.

Raymond was promoted this offseason to defensive backs coach and will be in charge of UF’s secondary. Although this news came out after the departure of defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, who coached the safeties in 2022, Gators coach Billy Napier said he made the move with Corey Raymond prior to Toney’s exit.

Napier added that new defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong is working primarily with the safeties, but he won’t have a specific position group and will oversee the entire defense.

“He’s still working with the safeties,” Napier said of Armstrong. “I think we’re sticking with kind of just our overall plan relative to improving the defense from an efficiency standpoint … I would say the plan prior to Patrick’s departure was to make Corey the secondary coach.

“We’re doing a number of other things there relative to edge players and interior defensive line, so that was the intent (with Raymond) the entire time and certainly we just had a coordinator change, we’ll take the same approach.”

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Florida DBs on Corey Raymond

UF cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. was a full-time starter for Raymond last season, starting all 13 games at cornerback and finishing with 29 tackles, 8 pass breakups, 1 TFL, one interception and a quarterback hurry.

After just working with Marshall’s group in 2022, Raymond is now coaching the nickel and safety positions as well this spring. He served in the same capacity for his first six seasons at LSU.

“Just his knowledge, you know. He can spread his knowledge to everybody,” Marshall said of Raymond having the whole secondary. “Not only myself, Devin [Moore] or in the cornerbacks room, but the safeties as well. You know, we’re all going to be on the field together, so why not have one coach to put in the knowledge and we all learn from him?”

Florida starting defensive back Jaydon Hill added, “With him being over working with all of us, it’s like, everybody is hearing the same message, you know what I’m saying? There’s no gray area.”

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