William Green against Ohio State in the Gator Bowl his final season at UF. (Photo: Jason Parkhurst for UAA)
Former Gators DL William Green Joins Program as Graduate Assistant
Friday, June 3, 2016 | Football, Scott Carter
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Green was a freshman on UF's 2008 national championship team
By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Former Gators defensive lineman William Green has returned to his alma mater.
Florida head coach Jim McElwain announced Friday that Green, who played for the Gators from 2008-11, has joined the program as a defensive graduate assistant. Green
"It's like a fresh start,'' Green said. "I have a new look on things when I came back. I was 18 when I first came here. Now I'm 26 and I've been all over the country and seen different places and what they have to offer. There's nowhere like home. I'm glad to be back."
Green played 53 games for the Gators, finishing his career with 53 tackles (11 for loss), 2.5 sacks, and a career-high 21 tackles his senior season. He played on Florida's national championship team as a freshman in 2008.
After leaving UF, Green had a stint in training camp with the Cleveland Browns and later played in the Arena Football League. Green, who is from Hoover, Ala., began to investigate a coaching career when his playing days were over thanks to a call from his former high school coach.
"I played my last game in '13 with an Arena team and then I was hanging around for a while still trying to play, and it didn't happen,'' Green said. "I worked in a warehouse for nine months and that really wasn't much fun."
Jacksonville State head coach John Grass, who was Green's coach at Spain Park (Ala.) High, offered him an opportunity to help out with the Gamecocks. Green gave it a try and discovered he enjoyed teaching young players and being back around the game.
On occasional trips to UF to visit former teammate Duke Lemmens, Green met Florida's current coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, who remembered Green from the recruiting trail several years ago when Collins was at Georgia Tech.
Eventually, Green received an offer to join the Gators.
"I decided to give [coaching] a shot and I ended up liking it and made a career of it,'' he said. "It's just for me learning and helping guys develop and get better."
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