Jeff Choate walked to the folding table inside the Gator room at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium after coach Will Muschamp formally announced him as the new special teams coach.
Choate donned a blue Nike polo with a Gator head off-center to the left Wednesday afternoon. Four months before, Choate found himself in the same situation, just 1,600 miles away and wearing a navy blue Nike dri-fit long sleeve shirt with the letters UTEP across the same spot.
The assistant comes way of El Paso, Texas where he took the defensive coordinator job under coach Sean Kugler. Choate worked through spring practice and expected to head into summer preparing for the Miners’ upcoming season.
Then, Muschamp called. Was there any hesitation on the part of the Gators coach because of Choate recently taking another job?
“No, this is Florida. You know? He’s excited about the opportunity and again, Sean Kugler handled this with about as much class as you could in this situation,” Muschamp said. “I really appreciate him and the way he handled the situation for Jeff and his family.”
A chance to coach aspects of the defense in addition to the special teams drew his attention. Luckily for Choate, his family still hadn’t left Washington and was planning on finishing out the school year there so they now wouldn’t have to move a third time.
Choate fills the void left by defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, who coached special teams from 2010-2012. He will also help coach the Buck and Sam linebacker positions with new defensive line coach Brad Lawing. He’ll take over the recruiting role of former defensive line coach Bryant Young who resigned for non-football reasons on April 10.
Choate may have arrived at an inopportune time by missing spring practice, but if there was any situation that would work, it would be this one, he said. He worked with offensive coordinator Brent Pease at Boise State for six seasons before coaching linebackers at Washington State in 2012. He and Durkin are similar in the way they approach special teams.
Choate treats the kicking game as an extension of the offense. Blocked kicks and explosive returns have become a staple of Florida football. The Gators blocked six kicks last year alone.
He recognized the playmaking ability while watching Florida’s film. Choate called Loucheiz Purifoy one of the best gunners in the country. Durkin used multiple formations and motions covering kicks, which Choate said he’d continue.
“The kids know it’s important,” Choate said. “There’s a tremendous amount of buy-in in that phase. There’s a lot of evidence that it can win games here. D.J. has done a tremendous job of developing it. My job is to continue to develop that success and throw in some new ideas here. That’s what I’m looking to do.”
Choate addressed the media with obvious excitement to work with players like Purifoy. He spoke with a quick cadence fit for his upbeat style.
"Most people that have worked with me and played with me would say I'm a high energy guy. I think kids respond to positive energy,” Choate said.
“Nobody wants to be around that guy who didn't get his cup of coffee on Monday morning. Everybody wants to be around that guy who got his coffee every day of the week.”
Contact Adam Pincus at apincus@alligator.org.
UTEP defensive coordinator Jeff Choate was hired as Florida’s special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach on Wednesday. Choate was Washington State’s linebackers coach last season.
