First-year Florida assistant coaches go way back with Georgia football coach Kirby Smart
The Florida defensive coordinator wearing a visor on the sideline spent a season with Georgia football under a head coach, Kirby Smart, that does the same.
The Gators first-year tight ends coach served as a defensive analyst under Smart at Alabama in 2011 and 2012.
Austin Armstrong made a $50,000 salary as a Georgia defensive quality control coordinator in 2019. He's now getting a $1.1 million base salary as a part of a a three-year, $3.6 million contract running the Gators defense after being hired prior to spring practice.
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Russ Callaway is the son of former Georgia offensive coordinator Neil Callaway. He graduated from Oconee County High School.
“I think they're really good coaches,” Smart, whose team faces Florida Saturday in Jacksonvile, said Tuesday night. “They have a great pedigree, and they work really hard at what they do.”
Armstrong, who has called Nick Saban his hero, spent a month as inside linebackers coach at Alabama before getting a chance to take over as Florida defensive coordinator. He was DC at Southern Miss the last two seasons.
"They play a lot of the same similar schemes, defensively and offensively to what we do and the things you believe in," Smart said.
Florida is 5th in the SEC in total defense at 312.4 yards per game after ranking 12th last season at 411. It is fifth in scoring defense at 20.0 after finishing 10th last season at 28.8.
“We've got to get the mindset back of we're the University of Florida, and there's a standard to uphold here, and a lot of players have come here and laid a foundation with their execution, not their lip service,” Armstrong said before the season. “We've got to do the work that's required to be able to do that and to put a product out here that we all can be proud of. That starts with knowing what to do, your training, your execution, and we're certainly working every day to do that.”
Smart called Armstrong “a good idea guy,” during his time with the Bulldogs..
“Always looking for a better way to do things,” he said. “He didn't feel limited by his role. He wasn't afraid to speak up and have good ideas, which I think makes a good young coach when you when you think that way.”
Callaway was promoted from defensive intern this offseason. He was Samford offensive coordinator from 2016-19 and was on the staff with LSU assisting with the quarterbacks and then the New York Giants before coming to Florida.
Callaway played quarterback at Valdosta State and hooked on with Smart at Alabama to start his coaching career. He told the Athens Banner-Herald in 2017 that a chance meeting in Gulf Shores, Ala., helped land him the job.
"I went to say ‘hey’ to Kirby and we were reminiscing on the Georgia days and he said, ‘Russ, I know you’re playing ball at Valdosta State and I know you want to be a coach. I promise you that as soon as you get out, if I’m here I want to give you a chance to do what you want to do. Your dad helped me and I want to help you,’” said Callaway. “I graduated in December and called him right after that and he got it done a month later. It was awesome. He’s obviously a man of his word.”
Said Smart: “I have a lot of respect for Russ and his family. Coach Callaway was here when I first got hired (in 2005), and Russ is a tremendous coach who knows football inside and out and he’s a great husband and father as well.”
Callaway was on staff as Alabama when Florida coach Billy Napier worked there. “He did a nice job for our defensive staff last year of kind of giving them an offensive perspective,” Napier said last month. “He’s got a good mind and certainly connected in recruiting areas. He’s done a nice job so far.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Florida assistants cut teeth under Georgia football coach Kirby Smart
