Florida Set to Add Jonathan Saxon to Defensive Line Staff Under Sumrall

Florida is set to add Jonathan Saxon, the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Wofford, to Jon Sumrall's staff in Gainesville, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Saxon would join the Gators' defensive staff as an assistant working alongside defensive line coach Gerald Chatman, giving Sumrall an experienced FCS coordinator to help develop Florida's front in his first year leading the program.

Saxon arrived at Wofford in April 2023 and built one of the more productive defenses in the Southern Conference over his two seasons there. The Terriers finished fourth in the SoCon in 2024, then topped the league entirely in 2025. During a 6-6 campaign, Wofford ranked among the top ten teams in all of FCS in rush defense, results Florida's staff is counting on Saxon to replicate in the SEC.

Before Wofford, Saxon spent eight seasons on staff at South Carolina State, his alma mater, where he played offensive line. He coached there from 2015 to 2023, ascending to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the final four seasons of his tenure while helping the Bulldogs win three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles. Saxon began his coaching career even earlier as a graduate assistant defensive line coach at Louisville under Charlie Strong, a tenure during which the Cardinals posted back-to-back dominant defensive seasons. Louisville's 2013 defense led the nation in sacks, total defense, and rushing defense, ranked second in scoring defense, fifth in pass defense, and ninth in tackles for loss, and closed the year 12-1 with a Russell Athletic Bowl win over Miami. The 2012 squad finished 11-2 and ranked among the top 25 in multiple key defensive categories. During his time at Louisville, Saxon also worked with Shawn Watson, then the Cardinals' offensive coordinator and now the head coach at Wofford.

The move represents a return to major college football for Saxon and fits neatly into Sumrall's larger staff overhaul. Chatman is the only assistant retained from Billy Napier's staff and has been leading the defensive line through spring drills. "I'm always going to bring intensity, intention to detail, passion to coaching these guys," Chatman said. "I think each player out there individually needs that. I think the guys are excited to go out there and play football."

Saxon carries notable recognition into his reported new role. FootballScoop named him a rising star, and he was included on ESPN's list of 45 top minority coaches under 45. As of the reporting on March 12, the University of Florida had not issued a formal announcement confirming the hire, with multiple outlets relying on sources and Thamel's report to characterize the move as pending.