
Florida football adds assistants, sending staff salaries soaring ahead of 2025 season
Florida football's coaching staff grew by one member this offseason after a successful campaign that saw the Gators earn their first winning season in four years and first bowl victory since 2019. Additionally, the payroll ballooned to over $8 million in salaries after some well-earned raises and some staff changes, according to a report from Gators Online.
The total cost of the program's coaching salaries amounts to $8,275,000 this year, and includes all 13 assistants plus director of strength and conditioning Tyler Miles.
Florida was able to expand its sideline presence after the NCAA removed its rule that limited the number of on-field coaches last June. While a pair of defensive assistants — former defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong and defensive coach Will Harris — left Gainesville for greener pastures, the Orange and Blue added three new hires to fill the void left behind.
With Armstrong and Harris out of the picture, Napier and Co. added co-defensive coordinators Vinnie Sunseri and Robert Bala, along with defensive backs coach Deron Wilson, to round out the staff. Eight assistant coaches are earning more in 2025 than in 2024 on their original contracts, while Miles' newly signed two-year deal compensates him better than last year as well.
Nine of Florida's assistants will see pay raises in 2026, with seven receiving at least a $50,000 bump on their checks. The Gators currently have $7,800,000 allotted for their coaches next year without defensive coordinator Roberts under contract.
Florida football's 2025 staff salaries
Assistant coach 2025-26 2026-27 Ron Roberts, DC $950,000 N/A Rob Sale, OL $800,000 $850,000 Gerald Chatman, DL $775,000 $850,000 Vinnie Sunseri, Co-DC/S $675,000 $750,000 Russ Callaway, OC/TE $675,000 $725,000 Jabbar Juluke, RB $650,000 $675,000 Robert Bala, Co-DC/LB $575,000 $650,000 Mike Peterson, EDGE $575,000 $600,000 Deron Wilson, DB $525,000 $550,000 Billy Gonzales, WR $525,000 $525,000 Joe Houston, STC $475,000 $475,000 Tyler Miles, Director of S&C $450,000 $450,000 Jonathan Decoster, OL $350,000 $425,000 Ryan O'Hara, QB $275,000 $275,000
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
19 minutes ago
- USA Today
Oregon Ducks 5-star freshman Trey McNutt suffers broken leg
The Oregon Ducks suffered an unfortunate injury in fall camp last week, leading up to the first game of the season on August 30 against the Montana State Bobcats. Ducks Wire has confirmed that 5-star true freshman safety Trey McNutt suffered a broken right leg, knocking him out of play for the time being. On3's Pete Nakos first reported the news. The severity of the fracture is not known, but McNutt is expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future, with a chance that he is healthy enough to return before the end of the season. McNutt was one of three 5-star players whom the Ducks signed in the 2025 class. The 247Sports Composite rated him as the No. 31 player in the class and the No. 2 safety in the nation. While many true freshmen tend to redshirt in their first year at the collegiate level, McNutt was one of a handful of players who were expected to get some valuable snaps in his first year with the Ducks. Although the injury is unfortunate, Oregon remains in a good position at the safety spot, led by Purdue transfer Dillon Thieneman. The Ducks also have guys like Kingston Lopa, Peyton Woodyard, and Aaron Flowers competing for starting spots, and there are high expectations for the back-end of Oregon's secondary. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.


NBC Sports
20 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Florida QB DJ Lagway is throwing 70 passes a day while rehabbing a strained calf
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is throwing 70 passes a day while working his way back from a strained left calf. Coach Billy Napier said Monday that Lagway is 'on schedule' with his rehab but will remain 'modifed for a while' in practice. The sophomore who went 6-1 in seven starts last season sat out Saturday's scrimmage and has yet to take part in 11-on-11 team drills. The 15th-ranked Gators open the season Aug. 30 against Long Island University. 'His workload is high,' Napier said. 'It's just not with a pass rush, you know? We're controlling the environment, trying to take care of him from a soft-tissue standpoint.' Lagway strained a calf muscle while running with teammates a week before the Gators opened training camp. It was the latest injury for the Heisman Trophy hopeful who missed spring practice with a shoulder injury after undergoing sports hernia surgery. Florida's star player also was limited last fall with shoulder soreness and slowed in November because of a strained left hamstring. 'Any football player would be better off taking the reps,' Napier said. 'The key is to be creative in terms of how we format practice, format the walkthrough. We've got to maximize all the mental reps, the process reps, the communication reps. 'It's not ideal. That's the way I've tried put it in the past, and I still kind of stand by that. In a perfect world, he'd be 100% and taking every single rep. But he's not able to do that.' The silver lining: Lagway's absence has allowed the Gators to get a better look at three QBs vying for the backup job. And freshman Tramell Jones Jr. has been so impressive that he's now pushing returner Aidan Warner and college journeyman Harrison Bailey for the spot behind Lagway. Napier called Jones' performance 'buzz worthy.' 'He's still got to operate much quicker, got to process quicker, communicate better under the gun and the play clock, his ability to manage the problems as they arise. All those things need to improve,' Napier said. 'But he throws a really good ball. He's very accurate. He's got arm talent, and I think he's a smart kid.' Lagway completed 60% of his passes for 1,915 yards, with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2024. He took over the starting role after Graham Mertz tore a knee ligament at Tennessee in October.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Florida QB DJ Lagway is throwing 70 passes a day while rehabbing a strained calf
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is throwing 70 passes a day while working his way back from a strained left calf. Coach Billy Napier said Monday that Lagway is 'on schedule' with his rehab but will remain 'modifed for a while' in practice. The sophomore who went 6-1 in seven starts last season sat out Saturday's scrimmage and has yet to take part in 11-on-11 team drills. The 15th-ranked Gators open the season Aug. 30 against Long Island University. 'His workload is high,' Napier said. 'It's just not with a pass rush, you know? We're controlling the environment, trying to take care of him from a soft-tissue standpoint.' Lagway strained a calf muscle while running with teammates a week before the Gators opened training camp. It was the latest injury for the Heisman Trophy hopeful who missed spring practice with a shoulder injury after undergoing sports hernia surgery. Florida's star player also was limited last fall with shoulder soreness and slowed in November because of a strained left hamstring. 'Any football player would be better off taking the reps,' Napier said. 'The key is to be creative in terms of how we format practice, format the walkthrough. We've got to maximize all the mental reps, the process reps, the communication reps. 'It's not ideal. That's the way I've tried put it in the past, and I still kind of stand by that. In a perfect world, he'd be 100% and taking every single rep. But he's not able to do that.' The silver lining: Lagway's absence has allowed the Gators to get a better look at three QBs vying for the backup job. And freshman Tramell Jones Jr. has been so impressive that he's now pushing returner Aidan Warner and college journeyman Harrison Bailey for the spot behind Lagway. Napier called Jones' performance 'buzz worthy.' 'He's still got to operate much quicker, got to process quicker, communicate better under the gun and the play clock, his ability to manage the problems as they arise. All those things need to improve,' Napier said. 'But he throws a really good ball. He's very accurate. He's got arm talent, and I think he's a smart kid.' Lagway completed 60% of his passes for 1,915 yards, with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2024. He took over the starting role after Graham Mertz tore a knee ligament at Tennessee in October. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and