Florida defensive coordinator Patrick Toney will go away after one season for the Arizona Cardinals following a 2022 Gators’ debut when his protection struggled mightily.
Toney, whose departure was first reported by ESPN and confirmed by the Orlando Sentinel, adopted head coach Billy Napier from Louisiana the place he served in the identical function for 2 seasons. The Gators will change Toney with not too long ago employed Alabama linebackers coach Austin Armstrong.
Florida tight ends coach William Peagler is also leaving the Gators after one season, an individual with data of the scenario confirmed.
Toney will function a defensive assistant with the Cardinals. Arizona employed Jonathan Gannon from the Philadelphia Eagles to be head coach and Nick Rallis, the Eagles’ linebackers coach, to supervise the protection.
“PT has been a pivotal part of our success over the last five years,” Napier mentioned in an announcement. “He has set a great example and been a relentless worker and learner. He is a selfless teammate and one of the finest coaches and teachers we have been around.”
Nick Saban employed Armstrong on Feb. 13 after he served because the youngest defensive coordinator in FBS at Southern Miss.
Toney arrived in Gainesville with a seemingly shiny future forward.
Napier and Toney’s gamers praised his soccer IQ and skill to make in-game changes. Yet, the 32-year-old’s aptitude and potential didn’t translate into success.
The Gators allowed opponents to transform 49.71% on third down, rating 129th nationally amongst 131 groups. Florida gave up extra performs of 10 yards or longer than all however Arkansas amongst 14 SEC groups whereas additionally rating twelfth towards the run, eleventh towards the cross and tenth in scoring protection. Florida recorded 23 sacks, tied for the fewest since 2017′s 4-win season.
Toney’s protection did produce 22 takeaways, tied with Tennessee and Mississippi State for the SEC lead
Amid the struggles, Napier predicted higher days forward.
“I’ve been around a number of years and absolutely one of the best coaches I’ve ever been on staff with, and I’ve been around some of the elite coaches,” Napier mentioned Oct. 19 through the bye week. “He had so much to do with our defensive turnaround at our earlier cease. So he’s doing what he does. He’s extraordinarily shiny and he’s evaluating issues objectively, technically and making the required changes.
“No one is taking more pride than our players and our staff and Patrick Toney in trying to improve in some of these areas.”
Toney referred to as the defensive indicators and coached safeties whereas sharing a co-coordinator title with line coach Sean Spencer. Each coached earns a wage of $1 million.
Veteran linebacker Amari Burney’s ultimate season was his finest at Florida. The Tampa native credited Toney’s scheme and method.
“Every time I see him he’s thinking of new plays to come up with,” Burney mentioned. “Every time I see him in the hallway, he wants to pull me to the side, he wants to talk about what I see on the field. He meets with me and Ventrell [Miller]. He wants to ask us what we see on the field and we can do to make the defense more productive on the field. He wants to talk to us and just see from our view what he can do better as a coach.”
Hired to educate Alabama’s inside linebackers, Armstrong shined at Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles ranked third nationally with a median of 8.3 tackles for loss, fifth with 3.38 sacks per video games and seventh with 17 interceptions.
The Golden Eagles ranked No. 42 nationally in whole protection (385.5 yards per recreation).
Armstrong labored below Napier at Louisiana, as a graduate assistant in 2017 and 2018, after which in 2020 as an inside linebackers coach.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter at @osgators.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com