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Florida DL coach Gerald Chatman being retained by Jon Sumrall

On3 imageby: Zach Abolverdi3 hours agoZachAbolverdi

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida defensive line coach Gerald Chatman is being retained, Gators Online has learned. Chatman met with new UF head coach Jon Sumrall on Monday.

Chatman just completed his second season with the Gators. He signed a two-year contract extension in January that raised his annual salary by $200,000 after interviewing with the Chicago Bears.

Chatman earned $775,000 this season and will make $850,000 next year.

“For me, I think whenever you’re part of something special, you’re part of a really good program I think that opportunities come — not just for me, but for other coaches in our program. So, my experience is that I’m thankful, I’m grateful, I have gratitude that I’m a part of this program,” Chatman said of staying at Florida last year. “Man, it’s a blessing to be a Gator right now. So, all of those experiences, it’s not just necessarily a credit to me and my work, but it’s just overall the program and what this brand and what this university means. It’s special to be a part of this. That’s kind of my experience with that.”

Under Chatman’s guidance in 2024, Florida’s defensive line helped the unit ranked No. 9 nationally in red zone defense (.725), No. 11 in sacks per game (3.0), No. 11 in fumbles recovered (11) and No. 13 in turnovers gained (25).

The defense improved from 2023 to 2024 in sacks (+17), tackles for loss (+28), forced fumbles (+11) and turnovers gained (+18). Chatman came to UF after stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, Colorado, LSU and most recently Tulane.

“They became a closer brotherhood and a tight-knit group, to where they began coaching each other,” Chatman said of his position group last year. “They bought into the technique and fundamentals, and I think that’s the other huge part about playing the position is you have to be fundamentally sound. Technique, fundamentals, and so they begin to love that, you know, as time went on and progressed.”

Chatman also recruited well during his two years in Gainesville. He landed four-star defensive lineman Kendall Guervil in the 2026 class after signing a pair of four-star recruits last year in Joseph Mbatchou and Jeramiah McCloud.

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