Florida has another rising name on its staff, and this one already has a track record of climbing fast.
Greg Gasparato, the Gators’ linebackers coach, was included by The Athletic on a list of 25 rising coaches to know before the 2026 season. The list, put together by Chris Vannini, is meant to spotlight coaches who could be on the move next year, either into head coaching jobs or coordinator roles.
Vannini’s eye for this kind of thing has worked before. Last year, he highlighted Jon Sumrall and Buster Faulkner, and both ended up at Florida.
"Gasparato was Sumrall’s defensive coordinator at Troy and Tulane," Vannini wrote. "He received Power 4 coordinator interest this past cycle but followed Sumrall to Florida to coach linebackers. A P4 coordinator job could be in his future soon."
Gasparato’s rise has been tied closely to Sumrall’s path. He came aboard at Troy as defensive coordinator in 2023 and even served as interim head coach before making the move to Tulane with Sumrall. While with the Trojans, he helped produce a defense that piled up 47 sacks, setting both program and Sun Belt single-season records.
His work at Tulane only strengthened his reputation. Gasparato became one of Sumrall’s most trusted defensive voices there, with defenses that consistently brought pressure and kept explosive plays in check. That success drew Power Four coordinator interest before he decided to follow Sumrall to Gainesville.
Now back in a position coach role at Florida, Gasparato gets another stage to keep building his profile in the SEC.
In Other News...
Florida Fans May Feel Different About That Lane Kiffin Miss Now
Lane Kiffins name has a way of circling back into Florida conversations, and this time it is tied to more than just coaching nostalgia. LSU and Kiffin are caught up in a legal dispute with the SEC over roster rules involving players taking part in NFL preseason games, while the league is also reportedly weighing ways to limit LSUs scheduling opportunities. For Gators fans who remember how often Kiffin was discussed before Florida went in a different direction in 2021, it is another reminder that his profile has never exactly been ordinary.
A recent Vanity Fair piece also revisited concerns about Kiffins behavior during his Alabama tenure, adding another layer to the reputation that has followed him for years. Florida passed on pursuing him as its head coach in 2021 in part because of those kinds of questions, and the latest round of headlines makes that decision look different in hindsight. Whether that will matter in the long run is another matter, but it is hard to ignore how much baggage has come back into view. [Read more 🡒]
DJ Lagway Was Carrying More Than Florida Fans Realized Last Season
DJ Lagways first season as Floridas quarterback was tougher than the box scores suggested. Ross Dellengers profile puts some of that weight in sharper focus, with comments from Lagways mother and former teammate DeBraun Hampton about the emotional strain and injuries he was dealing with while trying to carry the offense. Even in a year that included a five-interception loss to LSU, Lagway still finished with enough production to show why the Gators leaned on him so heavily.
The bigger picture now is what comes next, because Lagway is expected to open the 2026 season healthy with Baylor. For Florida fans, that makes the story of his 2025 struggles feel less like a postmortem and more like context for how much he was asked to handle behind the scenes. The numbers were uneven, but the season was about more than turnovers and passing totals, and that is the part that may stick with those around the program. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Whites Florida Defense Is Starting To Raise A Big 2026 Question
Brad White has not laid out the full blueprint for Floridas 2026 defense yet, but he has made one thing clear: the Gators are heading toward a multiple-front look built around flexibility in personnel. That alone is enough to spark interest in Gainesville, especially with White bringing a track record from Kentucky that was defined by safe zone coverage and a strong front four, with results that could be uneven when the competition stepped up. For Florida, the appeal is obvious if the scheme can match the roster, and the staff appears to believe this version of the defense will be different for more than one reason.
The bigger question now is how much of Whites old identity follows him to Florida and how much gets left behind. Kentuckys formula fit some opponents well enough, but Floridas coaching staff seems to view this as a chance to build something less rigid and more tailored to the players on hand. If the Gators are going to get where they want on defense, the answer may not just be about fronts and coverage calls, but whether White is willing to lean into a philosophy that looks noticeably unlike the one he used before. [Read more 🡒]