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UF Backs Receptive To New Assistant Coach

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By JENNA MARINA Tribune correspondent

Published: February 15, 2008

GAINESVILLE - New assistant coach Kenny Carter is ready to make the Gators' running back position relevant again.

Florida officially announced the hiring Thursday, and Carter said he will be in Gainesville on Sunday to start the job. His family will hold off on the move until summer while his 11-year-old daughter finishes school.

The Gators have not had a dominant running back since Gators coach Urban Meyer implemented the spread offense three years ago.

"It's one of the things that Coach Meyer talked to me about. He wants to have production at that position," Carter said. "I'm very excited about having the opportunity to help that happen."

Carter, who has spent the past three years coaching running backs at Vanderbilt, said he has spoken with Florida's running backs since Tuesday when he accepted the job.

"When people need to be familiar with each other, you need to establish what's going to be the basis of our relationship and what the expectations are," Carter said. "They've all been very receptive, and we've had good conversations."

FSU HIRES FIU'S COLEY: Florida State has hired Florida International offensive coordinator James Coley to replace John Lilly as tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator.

Lilly, who spent 13 seasons as an FSU assistant, recently left to join Mark Richt's staff at Georgia as tight ends coach. FSU is expected to announce the hiring of Coley as early as today.

FIU coach Mario Cristobal told The Miami Herald on Thursday that Coley, who spent one season at FIU, was leaving to join the Noles. Foley is a 1997 FSU graduate and spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at LSU, where he worked with FSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher.

Scott Carter

ANOTHER BIG EAST TEAM?: Connecticut coach Randy Edsall wants to see another football school join the Big East Conference. The league has eight teams playing football. Each season, some schools play four conference home games and some get three.

"It would be just so much more viable and more equitable to everybody in the conference if we all had four home games each year," Edsall said Thursday. "So that's why it's our hope as football coaches, to get to where we have at least another team in the league."

Edsall declined to say what schools he believes might make good candidates.

The Associated Press

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