Gerald Chatman isn’t just being retained by the Florida Gators, he’s getting a promotion. UF announced Friday that Chatman, who was defensive line coach the past two seasons, now will be Assistant head coach/defensive line for the Gators under new coach Jon Sumrall.
“When I first arrived in Gainesville, one of my first tasks was to retain Coach Chatman on our staff,” Sumrall said in a release. “I’ve always respected Coach Chatman – the type of coach he is and how he leads his players. He is a great developer of talent and one of the best defensive line coaches in the country. I couldn’t be more excited to coach with him.”
Zach Abolverdi of Gators Online first reported Dec. 8 that Chatman would be retained by Sumerall. But according to On3’s Pete Nakos, LSU had of late been targeting Chatman “for a similar role on the Tigers’ defensive staff.” That said, Nakos reported Thursday that “Gators head coach Jon Sumrall has signed him to a deal to stay in Gainesville.”
Now, UF has officially announced the this.
“My family and I are blessed to be apart of the University of Florida, the UAA and the Gainesville community,” Chatman said in a release. “We are grateful and embrace the opportunity to work with Coach Sumrall and his family. He will lead with toughness, grit and character which will result in winning and sustaining a winning culture.”
Under Chatman’s guidance in 2024, Florida’s defensive line helped the unit ranked No. 9 nationally in red zone defense (.725), No. 11 in sacks per game (3.0), No. 11 in fumbles recovered (11) and No. 13 in turnovers gained (25).
The defense improved from 2023 to 2024 in sacks (+17), tackles for loss (+28), forced fumbles (+11) and turnovers gained (+18). Chatman came to UF after stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, Colorado, LSU and most recently Tulane.
The Gerald Chatman File
PositionAge Previous College experience(years)SEC (years)Power 4 (years)NFL (years)Gerald ChatmanDefensive line coach37 Tulane defensive line coach (2024 was first season at UF) 14452