Meet the new hires on Billy Napier's Florida Gators staff

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Since the 2023 season ended and one month into 2024, Florida coach Billy Napier has made several changes and hires, including a staff overhaul on the defensive side of the ball and new leadership in the strength and nutrition programs.

The Gators have added three coaches on defense, a senior analyst for special teams and three new strength coaches, one of whom serves as the team nutritionist. Napier has also hired a chief of staff.

Meet the eight new hires for the Florida football program:

Bring the JUICE!! 🧃🔥 pic.twitter.com/Y0eIoEvDfN

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) January 18, 2024

Craig Fitzgerald

Position: Director of Football Performance
Background: Fitzgerald joins the Gators after spending four seasons with the New York Giants as director of strength and performance. During his first year in New York, Fitzgerald’s customized training regiments led to the largest reduction of football injuries from the previous season in the NFL in 2020. Fitzgerald was the head strength and conditioning coach of the Houston Texans from 2014-17. He was also instrumental in revamping strength and conditioning regimens at Tennessee (2018-19), Penn State (2012-13) and South Carolina (2009-11), where he served as Steve Spurrier’s head strength coach. Fitzgerald was the director of strength and conditioning at Harvard from 2005-09, overseeing 41 varsity sports.

RELATED: Craig Fitzgerald gets ringing endorsement from Steve Spurrier

Ron Roberts

Position: Executive Head Coach, Co-Defensive Coordinator & Inside Linebackers Coach
Background: Roberts, 56, was the defensive coordinator at Auburn last season and served as Baylor’s DC from 2020-22. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Roberts’ defense in 2023 graded out as a top-25 team in pass coverage (17th), total defense (18th), rushing defense (19th) and tackling (24th). Roberts has deep ties to Napier; he was his defensive coordinator at Louisiana from 2018-19. Of note, Roberts also is linked to Florida defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, who worked with him as a defensive graduate assistant at Louisiana in 2018. Roberts has 11 years of head coaching experience at Delta State and Southeastern Louisiana.

RELATED: Florida Gators officially announce hire of Ron Roberts

Will Harris

Position: Secondary Coach
Background: Harris, 36, arrives in Gainesville after one season with the Los Angeles Chargers as their assistant secondary coach. Prior to that, he spent 10 years working up the college ranks after playing defensive back at Southern California from 2005-09. He was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach for Georgia Southern in 2022 following four seasons coaching Washington’s defensive backs (2018-21). He coached and developed an All-American every year with the Huskies. Harris took over the coaching responsibilities for Washington’s entire secondary in 2020, improving the pass defense to 13th in the country that year and then No. 1 nationally in 2021.

RELATED: Titans DB Elijah Molden raves about Will Harris & his ‘superpower’

Gerald Chatman

Position: Defensive Line Coach
Background: Chatman, 35, returns to the SEC after spending the 2023 season as the defensive line coach at Tulane. He first worked in the SEC in 2015 as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M under the late Terry Price, who served as a mentor to him, and then had two stints at LSU in 2021 as an analyst (2021) and interim defensive line coach (2023 spring). Chatman was the D-line coach and interim defensive coordinator at Colorado in 2022. After coaching internships with the Green Bay Packers (2015) and Denver Broncos (2016), he spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals as a defensive assistant, where he worked primarily with the team’s defensive ends and outside linebackers.

RELATED: Gerald Chatman brings an ‘attack mentality’ as Gators D-line coach

Joe Houston

Position: Senior Analyst for Special Teams
Background: Napier’s latest hire is Houston, who’s been tabbed as the senior analyst for special teams. He will be working closely with Chris Couch, Florida’s GameChanger Coordinator, while also focusing on special teams and situational football. Houston, 37, has been a special teams assistant with the New England Patriots since 2020 under legendary coach Bill Belichick. Before that, Houston, who kicked at Southern California from 2007-10, made coaching stops at schools such as Iowa State and Toledo. He was at Iowa State for four seasons. There, he coached kicker returner Kene Nwangwu, who was All-Big 12.

RELATED: What role will Joe Houston serve with the Florida Gators?

Jake Sankal

Position: Director of Football Nutrition and Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
Background: Sankal comes to UF with eight seasons of experience with the Washington Commanders, joining the organization as the team nutritionist and an assistant strength & conditioning coach during the 2016 offseason. Sankal led all aspects of the team’s performance nutrition strategies and initiatives along with working alongside the strength coaches. The Philadelphia Eagles are the only other NFL team with a similar role. Prior to joining Washington, he spent six years (2010-15) as a strength and conditioning coach with teams of the Cleveland Guardians organization.

RELATED: Jonathan Allen, Sam Howell rave about Jake Sankal

Tevin Geddis

Position: Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
Background: Geddis, 29, comes over to Florida from the New York Giants, where he worked under Fitzgerald as a strength and conditioning coach. Prior to the Giants, Geddis worked as an assistant football strength and conditioning coach at Army (2021) and Florida State (2019). At FSU, he assisted with the football program and helped to oversee speed, agility and conditioning programs, providing analysis of exercise technique and helped with the rehabilitation of injured athletes. Geddis is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS). Geddis played defensive back at Kansas State and graduated in 2017.

Mark Robinson

Position: Chief of Staff
Background: Florida is expanding its off-field staff with an NFL-style front office, which Robinson is expected to oversee as Napier’s chief of staff. His role will include managing the football program’s business operations and NIL, helping the personnel department with roster management and overseeing the entire operation, much like an NFL general manager would for their franchise. Robinson, 44, spent the last 11 years as the associate athletic director for football at Texas A&M (2018-23) and Florida State (2013-17) under Jimbo Fisher. At FSU, Robinson was named the nation’s top Director of Football Operations by Football Scoop following the 2015 season.