In addition to signing 18 new players, Florida coach Will Muschamp finalized his staff Wednesday with the addition of tight ends coach Derek Lewis.
Lewis, who coached tight ends at Minnesota for the past four seasons, played in the NFL for two years and won a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2000.
During his introductory press conference Dec. 14, Muschamp said he wanted to hire coaches with pro football experience. Lewis is one of six UF assistants who either played or coached in the NFL.
Muschamp’s hire comes six days after Stan Drayton left for Ohio State. Brian White, who has coached tight ends at Florida the past two seasons, will replace Drayton as running backs coach, a position he held at Wisconsin for 11 seasons.
Muschamp also promoted wide receivers coach Aubrey Hill to recruiting coordinator in the wake of Drayton’s departure.
Position changes: Muschamp said he has not decided if any players will switch positions next season.
Rumors have surfaced that Trey Burton will play defensive back this fall. Burton rushed for 349 yards, caught 32 passes for 210 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns while playing quarterback, fullback, tight end and wide receiver last season.
But with the Gators transitioning to a pro-style offense under Muschamp, Burton’s role is uncertain. Muschamp said Burton looks like he could play defense, but he also thinks the rising sophomore could be an asset at fullback and in special quarterback packages.
Muschamp said he is unsure whether Jordan Reed will play tight end or quarterback.
UF is currently in offseason conditioning, and NCAA rules limit how many football-related activities teams can do. The Gators open spring practice March 16.
“There’s no football involved, there’s no pads involved, and it’s hard to evaluate a guy running around in shorts,” Muschamp said. “As far as position changes right now, I haven’t decided the concrete of what we’re going to look at.”
Meyer off payroll: The University Athletic Association announced Wednesday that former coach Urban Meyer is no longer an employee of the organization.
When Meyer stepped down Dec. 8, he said he would remain with the school in some capacity, but Meyer’s new job with ESPN could lead to NCAA violations if he kept working with UF players.
