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Florida Gators secure massive coaching hire days after Will Harris left program for Miami

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Tyler Forness | Last updated Feb 17, 2025 4:30 PM ET

The Florida Gators have been dealing with some coaching staff turnover over the last few days. Secondary coach Will Harris left the program for the Miami Hurricanes last Thursday and the ripple effects started quickly. They lost four-star cornerback commit in the 2026 class Jaelen Waters.

On Sunday, the Gators brought in a coach to replace him. According to Gators Online, head coach Billy Napier has hired Georgia State defensive coordinator Deron Wilson to be the defensive backs coach. He was only hired four weeks ago by the program. Before that, Wilson was the secondary coach at the University of Arkansas.

Gators hire Deron Wilson as defensive backs coach

Getting the position filled quickly was important for the Gators, especially after losing one of their three 2026 recruits. Having Wilson in place will allow the Gators to be in a better spot when it comes to recruiting.

The real intrigue with Wilson is the fact that he's been on staff before. Napier hired Wilson as a quality control analyst focusing on the cornerback position in his first year of 2022. Including his stint in Gainesville, Wilson has been coaching since 2016.

2016-2019: UTSA Grad Assistant/Cornerbacks Coach
2020-2021: McNeese State Defensive Coordinator
2022: Florida Quality Control/Cornerbacks
2023-2024: Arkansas Secondary Coach

Wilson has spent multiple seasons coaching in college football with his calling card being that he coached UTSA cornerback Tariq Woolen, who is now thriving with the Seattle Seahawks after being selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.

Prior to getting into coaching, Wilson was a defensive back for Southern Miss from 2009-2012. He made the Phil Steele 2010 Freshman All-American second-team, Conference USA All-Freshman team, and second-team All-C-USA honors. He also made C-USA all-conference first-team in 2011, where the

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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