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The Florida Gators’ regular season is over after a loss to Florida State, dropping them to 5-7 and failing to reach bowl eligibility. As a result, many of the coaches on the staff are on the hot seat. It was reported Monday night by the Orlando Sentinel that secondary coach Corey Raymond would not be retained.
Breaking: #Gators part ways with defensive assistants Corey Raymond, Sean Spencer after Florida's 5-7 season, the Orlando Sentinel has learned.https://t.co/uLTHAFmHzU
— Edgar Thompson (@osgators) November 28, 2023
What Happened?
Raymond was one of the first staff members hired by coach Billy Napier when he was hired in December 2021. Raymond joined the staff Dec. 8, 2021, after spending a decade in Baton Rouge with LSU. When he was initially hired, he only oversaw the team’s cornerback position, but when former defensive coordinator Patrick Toney left for the NFL, he was given the entire secondary.
Raymond, who is 54 years old, signed a contract extension back in March. He earned a $30,000 raise, increasing his salary from $725,000 to $755,000. The extension would have tied him to Florida until at least Jan. 31, 2025.
Florida started the season strong on defense, only allowing 13.5 points per game through four weeks. In those four games, they faced Utah, McNeese State, Tennessee and Charlotte. In the last eight games, though, the unit was one of the worst in the country. The team allowed 382.32 yards per game and was the 11th-ranked team defense in the SEC and 69th in the country. They allowed 701 total yards to LSU on Nov. 11.
https://twitter.com/LSUfootball/status/1723537364666962227?s=20
The defense only recorded three interceptions in all 12 games, which was last in the conference. As a whole, the defense only forced seven total turnovers, which is second-to-last in the entire country. They only ranked ahead of Temple.
What’s To Follow?
This move comes only days after the final game of the 2023 season for the Gators. Alongside Raymond, the team also let go of co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Sean Spencer.
Raymond was well-known for his recruiting prowess prior to and at Florida. Florida currently has the fifth-ranked recruiting class in 2024, according to 247Sports. Raymond is labeled as the primary or secondary coach for two of their 19 commits, safety Xavier Filsaime and wide receiver Tawaski Abrams. It is unknown if any decommitments will happen in response to the move.
