Florida promoting Dae'One Wilkins to nickel backs coach

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Jon Sumrall is promoting off-field staffer Dae’One Wilkins to nickelbacks coach, according to On3 and 247Sports.

At 25 years old, Wilkins is one of the youngest position coaches in the SEC. He worked with Florida‘s defensive backs in 2025 as a quality control assistant. Before that, he spent the 2024 season with the Kentucky Wildcats — under Florida’s new defensive coordinator Brad White — as a graduate assistant and 2023 with his alma mater Furman as a defensive assistant/nickels coach.

Wilkins helped lead Furman to a 2023 Southern Championship, a quarterfinals appearance in the FCS Playoffs and a 10-3 record. The Paladins had one of the best defenses in the FCS that season, leading the SoCon in rushing defense (96.9 yards per game), total defense (316 ypg), scoring defense (18.2 ppg) sacks (38) third down percentage defense (.322), fourth down conversion defense (.385) red zone percentage defense (.722), interceptions (18), turnovers gaines (27) and turnover margin (+1.31).

Nickel back Cally Chizik was named to the 2023 Walter Camp FCA All-America Team and was a consensus All-Southern Conference selection after totaling 64 tackles and a team-high five interceptions under Wilkins.

Wilkins spent four years playing at Furman, starting from 2020-22, and was elected team captain his senior year.

Jon Sumrall’s staff at Florida

Front office

Offense

Defense

  • Defensive Coordinator: Brad White
  • Defensive line coach/assistant head coach:Gerald Chatman
  • Inside linebackers coach: Greg Gasparato
  • Outside linebackers/EDGE coach: Byron Hardmon
  • Defensive backs/cornerbacks coach:Brandon Harris
  • Safeties coach:Chris Collins
  • STAR/nickelbacks coach: Dae’one Wilkins

Special Teams/Strength and Conditioning

  • Special teams coordinator: Jonathan Galante
  • Strength and conditioning: Rusty Whitt

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators retaining, promoting DBs coach Dae’One Wilkins

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos