Breaking: Top 5-star WR Target informs Gators of plans to join
Florida is slated to host one of the top wide outs in the 2025 class on campus this offseason
With the major heavy lifting of the 2024 class signed, sealed, and delivered during the December Early Singing Period, colleges can now move a lot more of their focus to the 2025 recruiting class. Over the course of the next several Saturday’s, the Florida Gators are expected to be staying busy, with junior prospects making their way to The Swamp to spend time around the campus and coaching staff.
Starting this coming Saturday, and every Saturday following up until the first weekend of February, the Gators are going to be having a visitor weekend. During that stretch, Florida is slated to host one of the top pass catchers in the class of 2025. According to Ackerman (MS) Choctaw County five-star wide receiver Caleb Cunningham, he plans to be in Gainesville on February 3 for the Gators visitor day they are hosting on that date.
Florida Set to Hire Ron Roberts as LB Coach, Co-Defensive Coordinator
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida is set to hire former Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts to oversee the Gators’ inside linebacker position, All Gators can confirm. The move will reunite Roberts with Billy Napier, Florida’s current head coach, after the duo spent two seasons together at Louisiana from 2018-19, with Roberts handling defensive coordinator duties under Napier at the time. Roberts will replace Jay Bateman, who bolted from Florida’s inside linebacker coaching position to coordinate the defense at Texas A&M in Dec. 2023
The 56-year-old Roberts brings 33 years of coaching experience to Gainesville, notably including stints with Baylor and Auburn of late. His three years in Waco, Texas, proved to be some of the most successful of his coaching career, as he helped lead the Bears to a Big 12 Championship title in 2021. During the campaign, the defense catalyzed Baylor’s success, leading the conference in interceptions (19), turnovers gained (27), turnover margin (0.93) and defensive touchdowns (3). Additionally, Baylor finished second in the Big 12 run defense (118.4 ypg), scoring defense (18.3 PPG), pass efficiency defense (121.54) and sacks per game (3.14). It also held every opponent below 30 points, just one of three teams in the FBS to do so.
Roberts will also take on the role of co-defensive coordinator, a position previously occupied by former Gators defensive line coach Sean Spencer, who was dismissed in Nov. 2023. He’ll also command an executive head coach — defense title in Gainesville. Roberts is the third hiring to Florida’s on-field defensive coaching staff this offseason, after as many departures. Secondary coach Corey Raymond was let go alongside Spencer in November; the assistants were replaced by Will Harris and Gerald Chatman, respectively.
Find Roberts’ coaching history in full below.
2023: Auburn – Defensive Coordinator
2020-22: Baylor – Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach
2018-19: Louisiana – Defensive Coordinator
2012-17: Southeastern Louisiana – Head Coach
2007-11: Delta State – Head Coach
2005-06: Delta State – Defensive Coordinator
2004: Visalia (Calif.) Mt. Whitney High School – Head Coach
2003: Texas State – Defensive Coordinator
1998-2002: Tusculum – Defensive Coordinator
1997: Greensboro – Defensive Coordinator
1994-96: Ridgecrest (Calif.) Burroughs High School – Head Coach
1990-93: Germantown (Tenn.) Houston High School – Defensive Coordinator
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