Wesley McGriff comes to Florida after serving as secondary coach at Auburn the past two seasons. (Photo: Courtesy of Auburn Athletics)
Carter's Corner: A Closer Look At Gators Assistant McGriff
Sunday, January 10, 2021 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the revolving-door world of a college football coach, moving around is part of life. Still, a guy needs a home.
New Gators assistant coach Wesley McGriff, whose hire was officially announced by head coach Dan Mullen on Saturday, and his wife decided a few years ago that the Auburn area was going to be the family's "forever home" after so many moves in McGriff's coaching career.
"We're going to retire right here in Auburn,'' McGriff told reporters.
When in 2016 McGriff left Auburn in his first stint with the Tigers, he never sold his house on the Plains according to the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser. His son, Jaylen, who transferred from Savannah State to Auburn when McGriff took the job, stayed there, earned his degree and began a career in real estate.
Meanwhile, after two years at Ole Miss as defensive coordinator, McGriff returned to Auburn in 2019 as secondary coach, a position he held for two seasons until Auburn dismissed head coach Gus Malzahn last month.
By joining the Gators, the 52-year-old McGriff – he turns 53 on Jan. 23 – is coaching at his fifth Southeastern Conference program. He previously made stops at Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss (twice) and Auburn (twice).
As sort of an introduction to Florida's newest coach, here are some tidbits about his career and life that might be of interest:
HALL OF FAMER
McGriff was inducted into the Tift County (Ga.) Athletic Hall of Fame in August 2017. A former standout receiver/defensive back at Tift County High, he helped the Blue Devils win a state championship in 1983.
Following his prep career at Tift, McGriff played collegiately for South Carolina State and Savannah State.
"No matter my address, I'll always be a Tift County Blue Devil," reported the Tifton Gazette.
PRO PERSPECTIVE
While McGriff has spent the majority of his career in college football, he gained additional insight into the game during his three seasons as an assistant with the New Orleans Saints from 2013-15.
When McGriff was hired at Auburn in 2016, he shared a lesson about how important it is to teach players the basics before moving to more complicated defensive schemes and assignments.
"Technique is something that you have to teach over and over again,'' McGriff said. "I know one of the phrases that [Saints] coach [Sean] Payton said all the time, and it really makes sense. He says, 'You want to spend the majority of your time teaching them how to do a particular thing rather than what to do.' That means teaching them the technique and fundamentals of how to execute a particular defense, because if you spend a lot of time teaching them what to do, that means you've probably got too much defense. The technique is not very different. The biggest thing with techniques and fundamentals is to make sure you're consistent. Now it'll become second nature for a football player."
In McGriff's first season in New Orleans working under then-Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, New Orleans ranked fourth in the NFL in total defense (305.7 ypg), second in opponent passing yards per game (194.1 ypg) and fourth in scoring defense (19.0 ppg), posting an 11-5 record and advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs.
TEXAS TRY
Following his third season as a University of Miami assistant in 2009, McGriff put his name in the hat to be head coach at Sam Houston State in Texas. When the school released its list of candidates for the job, McGriff made the cut.
Others on the Bearkats' list at the time (and their former positions): Kansas wide receivers coach David Beaty, New Mexico offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey, Central Missouri head coach Willie Fritz, University of Alabama-Birmingham offensive coordinator Kim Helton, Texas A&M-Commerce head coach Guy Morriss, University of Houston co-offensive coordinator Jason Phillips, Klein Oak High School head coach Dave Smith, former longtime Texas high school head coach Ross Rogers, Abilene Christian University head coach Chris Thomsen and Washington Redskins tight ends coach Scott Wachenheim.
Coincidentally, it was Morriss during his time as head coach at Kentucky who gave McGriff his first job in the SEC as an assistant in 2001. Fritz got the Sam Houston State job.
REBEL ROLL
Despite not being at Ole Miss since the 2018 season, McGriff remained connected to the program in Rebels coach Lane Kiffin's first season when USA Today reported the school was paying four defensive coordinators this season.
According to employment contracts, Ole Miss still owed McGriff at least $1.1 million per year through Jan. 31, 2021, minus any pay he was receiving in his job at Auburn. Meanwhile, the school still owed money to former defensive coordinator Mike MacIntrye, who replaced McGriff, and 2020 co-defensive coordinators Chris Partridge and D.J. Durkin, the former Gators assistant and interim head coach who led UF to a win over East Carolina in the 2014 Birmingham Bowl.
That's a lot of dollars and defensive coordinators.
FLASHBACK FILE Wesley McGriff
The following appeared on the UPI sports transaction wire on Jan. 15, 2001:
Kentucky -- Named Brent Pease quarterbacks and receivers coach, Dennis Roland tight ends coach, Chris Lancaster defensive ends coach, Larry Hoefer safeties coach and Wesley McGriff cornerbacks coach.
Pease later served as Florida's offensive coordinator for two seasons.
DID YOU KNOW?
Prior to McGriff landing on the inaugural staff of new University of Miami head coach Randy Shannon – by the way, another former Gators assistant and interim head coach – he was hired by Kansas State coach Ron Prince in January 2007.
McGriff joined Kansas State's staff as defensive backs coach, but his stay lasted just a few weeks before Shannon offered him a job with the Hurricanes.
"When you have very talented people you know there's a point in time when people are going to come to them with career opportunities,'' Prince told reporters.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I love people. I'm a people person. Our biggest goal is not to send them back home the same way they left. I think my personality is to be in a position to be a change-agent for these young men. That's my greatest strength.'' – McGriff on being able to connect with players via the Auburn Plainsman
VANDY VICTORY
Vanderbilt is notorious as a difficult place to win. McGriff was there last decade for a season that ended with the Commodores making only their fifth all-time appearance in a bowl.
McGriff was Vanderbilt's defensive backs coach/recruiting coordinator in 2011 and the secondary produced 12 interceptions, three returns for scores and more than 20 pass breakups. In addition, cornerback Casey Hayward became the first Vanderbilt All-American in four years by recording seven interceptions. Hayward has carved out a nine-year NFL career with Green Bay, San Diego and now the Los Angeles Chargers.
EXTRA POINTS
In his first stint at Auburn as secondary coach and co-defensive coordinator with Kevin Steele, the Tigers jumped from 11th in the conference in scoring defense to No. 2 in 2016 … Auburn's secondary gave up 44 less explosive plays in 2016 (144) than 2015 (190) … McGriff was named defensive coordinator at Ole Miss on Dec. 16, 2016. He was promoted to associate head coach on July 20, 2017 … McGriff was hired twice at Ole Miss by former Rebels coach Hugh Freeze, now at Liberty University … McGriff has been credited as a big part of the Rebels' 2013 recruiting class that brought eventual first-round draft picks Robert Nkemdiche, Laremy Tunsil and Laquon Treadwell to Oxford … McGriff was Miami's defensive backs coach in 2008 when the Hurricanes visited the Swamp and lost 26-3.
