Billy Napier loses critical recruiter and assistant coach to bitter rival that could have major ripple effect

Florida Gators lose assistant to Miami Hurricanes

Harris joined the Gators after the 2023 season as their secondary coach. His unit performed incredibly well down the stretch. They held one of the best offenses in the nation Ole Miss to just 17 points and held Tulane scoreless in the first three quarters of the Gasparilla Bowl in a 33-8 win.

Harris has been coaching for over a decade after playing safety at USC. His career has taken him all over with a significant amount of his time on the West Coast.

• 2013: Northwestern Oklahoma State, Defensive Backs Coach
• 2014: Humboldt State, Defensive Backs Coach
• 2015: Dixie College, Defensive Backs Coach/Co-Defensive Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
• 2016-2017: San Jose State, Defensive Backs Coach
• 2018-2021: Washington, Defensive Backs Coach
• 2022: Georgia Southern, Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach
• 2023: Los Angeles Chargers, Assistant Secondary Coach
• 2024: Florida, Secondary Coach

He's worked with a lot of very talented players over his career, which is the likely reason why the Gators targeted him for their secondary coach position. During his time at Washington, Harris coached nine players who have played in the NFL, eight of which have been drafted.

• 2018: Andre Chachere (UDFA), Jermaine Kelly (7th round)
• 2019: Taylor Rapp (2nd round), Byron Murphy Jr. (2nd round)
• 2021: Keith Taylor (5th round), Elijah Molden (3rd round)
• 2022: Trent McDuffie (1st round), Kyler Gorden (2nd round)
• 2024: Dominique Hampton (5th round)

The Gators will now have to replace him but it's solid timing for them, as the 2025 recruiting cycle has come to an end. They will likely have a few candidates in mind with an answer coming soon, as spring practice is close to beginning. New co-defensive coordinator Vinnie Sunseri could take over, as he's also the safeties coach.