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Gators’ Coach McElwain Adds to Coaching Staff

Florida head coach Jim McElwain announced on Monday some additions to his 2015 coaching staff. On the offensive side of the ball, Mike Summers, who was on the 2014 UF staff, will continue to coach the Gators’ offensive line, Greg Nord will coach the tight ends and special teams and Tim Skipper will coach the UF running backs. On defense, Randy Shannon will serve as Associate Head Coach/Co-Coordinator and coach the linebackers, Terrell Williams will coach the defensive line. Kirk Callahan returns to Florida and will coach the defensive backs.

In addition to the coaching hires, McElwain announced that Mike Kent will serve as director of strength and conditioning for the Gator football team.

“As we were putting this staff together, we wanted to make sure that all the parts fit for us to be successful,” said McElwain. “This group has the knowledge, understanding and experience recruiting and coaching in the South, the state of Florida and the Southeastern Conference. They are like thinkers and don’t have self-serving agendas.

“They will all help our players be successful on the field, as students and in life and are excited about the opportunity to join The Gator Nation. This is the first step in putting together an infrastructure that will put the Gators back where we belong.”

Summers joined the Florida coaching staff in the spring of 2014 and helped a thin offensive line perform consistently well this season. Highlighting his work was senior center Max Garcia, who played center for the first time in his career and earned Second Team All-SEC honors. Summers has 35 years of coaching experience primarily coaching the offensive line and also spending 15 years as an offensive coordinator.

Another 35-year coaching veteran, Nord joins the Gators’ staff after spending 2014 at Western Kentucky coaching the Hilltoppers’ running backs. He has plenty of experience in the SEC, spending nearly 15 years at Kentucky as a player and coach in his career. Nord also spent 15 seasons at Louisville, helping lead the Cardinals to four conference championships. He has coached tight ends, running backs and special teams throughout his career.

Skipper will rejoin McElwain after three seasons on the Colorado State coaching staff, including two as Assistant Head Coach. He previously coached running backs at Fresno State and was instrumental in the development of Ryan Matthews, the 12th overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. Skipper has tutored eight players who advanced to the NFL, including five running backs.
Shannon has led some of the best defenses in recent history as both head coach and defensive coordinator at Miami. He joins the UF staff after spending two years at Arkansas as Senior Associate Head Coach and coaching the Razorbacks’ linebackers. In his 17 years at Miami, Shannon coached 14 defensive players that were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. He also played for the Hurricanes and was a starter at linebacker on the 1987 National Championship team.
Williams joins the Florida staff after a three-year stint coaching the Oakland Raiders defensive line. He coached the defensive line at Texas A&M for two seasons, tutoring NFL All-Pro Von Miller, the No. 2 overall draft pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Williams also coached at Purdue and developed future NFL players Cliff Avril, Ryan Kerrigan and Anthony Spencer. He played defensive line at East Carolina for four years, graduating in 1998.

Callahan rejoins the Gators’ staff after coaching the defensive backs at UCF for the past three seasons. He previously spent two years on the Florida staff working with the defense in 2010-11 before joining the Knights. In 2014, he coached UCF’s first-ever defensive All-American at the FBS level, as cornerback Jacoby Glenn was named to the Associated Press Second Team and named the American Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

Kent will oversee the entire football strength and conditioning program and served in the same role under McElwain for three seasons at Colorado State. Kent’s previous stops include Appalachian State, Kansas State, Louisville and Pittsburgh. He has trained nearly 40 NFL players throughout his career, including Darrelle Revis, Jordy Nelson and Deion Branch.