When addressing reporters on Wednesday, coach Jim McElwain said he’d be hiring new assistant coaches “shortly.”
That admission looks to be true, because as first reported by Gridiron Now’s Mike Huguenin, the Gators are set to hire running backs coach JaJuan Seider away from West Virginia, as confirmed by the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
McElwain had been looking to make new hires since before Florida’s bowl game, when defensive coordinator Geoff Collins left to become the head coach at Temple. In his absence, Randy Shannon was moved from linebackers coach to interim defensive coordinator, eventually snagging the permanent position and leaving his old spot vacant.
UF also needs to replace Mike Summers, its former offensive line coach, who left for the same position at Louisville. So where does Seider come in?
He’ll likely take over for running backs coach Tim Skipper, who has spent much of his career coaching defense and could take over Shannon’s old spot.
Assuming the Gators follow through on the hiring of Seider, who’s regarded as an excellent recruiter, that leaves the one vacancy at offensive line coach left to fill.
Wideout transferring
C.J. Worton announced on Thursday that he’s transferring from Florida.
In a tweet, the rising senior wideout said he harbored no bad feelings toward UF, but that it was just time to play somewhere else. He said he’ll finish his Spring semester studies before transferring.
A three-star recruit from Miami, Worton caught 10 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns in his three seasons at Florida.
His transfer destination is unknown.
Contact Ethan Bauer at ebauer@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ebaueri.
Wide receiver CJ Worton runs into the end zone for a touchdown after recovering a fumble from running back Mark Thompson (not pictured) during the Orange & Blue Debut on April 8, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
