Jonathan DeCoster is a Florida Gator assistant now. Is that a good thing? (Photo via Cleveland Browns)
Much was made about Billy Napier’s decision to stick with the two-offensive line coach approach following the departure of Darnell Stapleton.
Some pointed to the fact that Florida never truly could replace the production of either All-American O’Cyrus Torrence or All-SEC selection Ethan White, and that things were bound to take a step back on the line simply because of that. Others argued that Florida allowing 3.25 sacks per game a year ago should never happen even with zero offensive line coaches. Still others couldn’t believe that Napier refused the opportunity to finally have an on-field special teams assistant following a calamitous continuation of errors in that department over his first two years.
For better or worse, though, Florida is going to once again have two co-offensive line coaches in 2024. A hire has been made in Jonathan DeCoster, and that brings us to the question of: who, exactly, is he?
Jonathan DeCoster definitely landed upward at Florida. But that doesn’t necessarily make it a terrible hire. Most recently, he was an offensive assistant with the Cleveland Browns, capping a full decade of bouncing around both the college and pro ranks as a non-full-time-position assistant– except, notably, for one stint with LSU under Ed Orgeron from 2017-19 as the tight ends coach. In that role, he helped develop NFL Draft selection Foster Moreau. He’s previously held job titles like “offensive quality control coach” and “travel coordinator”; he also served as the offensive line coach, recruiting coordinator and strength coach, all at once, for West Virginia State.
But perhaps his most impressive resume bullet point comes way, way back at the start of his career. As a graduate assistant for Nevada, Jonathan DeCoster worked closely with offensive guard Joel Bitonio, who would go on to be drafted early in the second round by the Cleveland Browns in 2014. Bitonio took a few years to fully develop in the pros, but he would eventually become a 6X NFL Pro Bowl selection, a 3X Second-Team All-Pro selection, and a 2X First-Team All-Pro selection. Over the last three years, Bitonio worked some more with DeCoster, first in an unofficial capacity as a quality control coach in 2021 and then in a more formal sense as DeCoster upgraded his title to offensive assistant in 2022.
Jonathan DeCoster has also racked up the praise from the people he’s worked with. New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who worked beside DeCoster with the Browns, said, “John is a bright young coach that has an incredible work ethic and a deep football knowledge to help develop his players on the field and the ability to connect with each player on a personal level off the field. I’m excited to continue to watch his star rise.”
And the praise doesn’t stop there. Here’s a quote from Patriots offensive line coach Scott Peters. Here’s a quote from former LSU tight end Jamal Pettigrew, who played for DeCoster in Baton Rouge. Here’s a quote from Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Willis. And so on, and so forth.
So the anger that some fans may feel about adding a second offensive line coach, and failing to use that spot for an on-field special teams coach, is warranted– even as Florida did add a second off-field special teams assistant. But with that said, it does seem as though Napier added a rising star to fill that voided co-OL coach slot.
And if Billy Napier plans to be here for the long haul, hiring somebody who is loved and respected by both fellow coaches and former players that he coached certainly isn’t the dumbest way to go about this.
