'Hit me': New Florida football secondary coach bringing physicality — And not holding back

Florida football starting sophomore safety Jordan Castell recalled the first time new secondary coach Will Harris stepped on the practice field this spring.

Harris walked onto the field in cleats, then held a small pad over this stomach. The practice began with tackling drills.

"He’s like ‘pull your trigger, hit me,'" Castell said

Castell was taken aback by the request at first.

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"We’re all looking at him like he’s crazy, I’m about to hit you, you don’t have no pads on," Castell said. "But yeah, he’s taking it like you know, like, I love it."

Harris then proceeded to take hits from all the secondary players for the Florida Gators to set the physical tone for the position group. UF's secondary struggled tackling in the open field last season, which led to several big plays on yards after the catch. Florida surrendered 22 pass plays of 20 or more yards last season, second worst in the SEC, ahead of only Vanderbilt (23).

"I’ve been doing that for years: I’ve been tackling, I’ve been getting tackled," Harris said. "At the end of the day, I say this, if I’m getting out there with them they need to feel it and they need to understand this is the mindset we need to have."

How Will Harris got hired as Florida football secondary coach

Harris landed the job as UF secondary coach in part due to a recommendation from former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley, who worked with Florida coach Billy Napier under Nick Saban at Alabama. Last season, Harris worked under Ansley as assistant secondary coach with the Chargers.

Harris's college resume includes a stint as Washington defensive backs coach from 2018-21. In 2021, under the guidance of Harris, Washington's secondary excelled. The Huskies led the nation in pass defense (143.3 yards per game), surrendered only six TDs and weren't whistled for a pass interference penalty the entire season. Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon earned All-Pac 12 honors for Washington in the 2021 season. Both went on to get picked in the NFL Draft, with McDuffie going in the first round to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021 and Gordon going in the second round to the Chicago Bears in 2022.

"That group was really connected," Harris said. "You can throw all kinds of different types of scheme out there, I believe communication breeds understanding. Our communication was on point at the time."

That's why Harris has had UF's cornerbacks, safeties and star position players all meet together throughout spring camp.

"Once we’re all on the same page, we’re all good," Harris said. "If not, you all know what that turns into — and that’s a touchdown."

Florida football coach Will Harris emphasizing tackling, takeaways

Harris is high on the potential of UF's secondary which includes returning senior starting corberback Jason Marshall Jr. and Castell, who started 11 games at safety last season. Devin Moore, who endured shoulder problems last seasob but is now fully healthy, is the frontrunner to start at cornerback opposite Marshall.

There are position battles at the safety and star spots, with Tulane transfer DJ Douglas, Washington transfer Asa Turner, Oregon transfer Trikweze Bridges, sophomore Aaron Gates and sophomore Sharif Denson all in the mix.

"I was telling Coach Napier, this might be one of the most talented groups I’ve had, just as far as height and length and speed," Harris said.

Tackling will remain an emphasis for UF's secondary in fall camp, as will takeaways, as Florida's three interceptions last season ranked last in the SEC.

"That ball is either ours or nobody’s," Harris said. "So that’s the mindset we gotta have. Not only that we as a staff we talk about it scheme-wise, we gotta make sure we come up with the right scheme to create those. And then you get what your emphasize. This spring that been really good, we got a bunch of turnovers, but just continue to emphasize that every single day."

As a starting safety at USC, Harris said he learned the importance of physicality, scheme and technique from playing under Pete Carroll, who went on to a successful NFL coaching run with the Seattle Seahawks. But he also has a soft spot for the Gators. He trained with Tim Tebow in Brentwood, Tenn., during an NFL predraft camp and recalled how dominant UF was during his college career from 2005-09.

"We understand that this is the University of Florida and it's a standard here," Harris said. "And I get it. You can we can talk about SC, my time there, but at the end of the day, I'm at the University of Florida.”