Sumrall Adds Johnathan Galante as Special Teams Coordinator
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 | Football
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida head football coach Jon Sumrall announced the hiring of Johnathan Galante as the program's special teams coordinator on Tuesday.
Galante comes to Gainesville after serving as the special teams coordinator at Tulane in 2025. The Green Wave earned a berth to the College Football Playoff in 2025 after capturing the American Athletic Conference (AAC) title.
Also in 2025, Galante served as the special team coordinator at Tulane, where his unit was one of the best in country. The Green Wave special teams ranked ninth in the country in ESPN efficiencies ranking, 14th in the ESPN SP+ and 21st in the SFEI rankings. For his efforts, Galante was named a Broyles Award nominee.
"Coach Galante has proven to be one of the best special teams coordinators in the country and has SEC experience," Sumrall said. "His units have consistently ranked among the nation's best and he's put players in a position to succeed and earn conference, national and All-America honors."
Also in 2025, Galante helped guide kicker Patrick Durkin to American Athletic Conference (AAC) Special Teams Player of the Year honors, a first in program history. Along with Durkin, punter Alec Clark earned first-team all-conference accolades, while TJ Smith and Jason Arredondo earned third-team honors as return specialist and long snapper, respectively.
"My family and I are extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the historic Florida football program," Galante said. "We look forward to serving the Gainesville community and bringing a winning edge to the kicking game at the University of Florida."
Prior to Tulane, Galante served as special teams coordinator at Marshal for three seasons from 2022-24. Before his arrival, the unit was ranked 74th in the nation in 2021 in the SFEI rankings. In his final season in 2024 with the Thundering Herd, the special teams group ranked 24th in the country. Individually in 2024, Ian Foster was named First-Team All-Sun Belt as a return specialist for Marshall.
In 2023, Jayden Harrison was a standout for Marshall, earning first-team accolades from the FWAA, Walter Camp, CBS Sports and Sports Info Solutions as a return specialist. Harrison led the FBS with a 31.9 kickoff return average and tied for the FBS lead with two kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Also in 2023, Harrison was named First-Team All-Sun Belt as a return specialist, while punter John McConnell earned third-team honors.
Prior to Marshall, he was the special teams analyst at the University of Alabama (2019-2022) and the special teams graduate assistant at Virginia Tech (2017-2018).
Galante has his Bachelor's of Science in Consumer Studies and a minor in Business. He and his wife, Nicole, have one daughter, Juliana, and one son, Joel.
Johnathan Galante Coaching History
Galante comes to Gainesville after serving as the special teams coordinator at Tulane in 2025. The Green Wave earned a berth to the College Football Playoff in 2025 after capturing the American Athletic Conference (AAC) title.
Also in 2025, Galante served as the special team coordinator at Tulane, where his unit was one of the best in country. The Green Wave special teams ranked ninth in the country in ESPN efficiencies ranking, 14th in the ESPN SP+ and 21st in the SFEI rankings. For his efforts, Galante was named a Broyles Award nominee.
"Coach Galante has proven to be one of the best special teams coordinators in the country and has SEC experience," Sumrall said. "His units have consistently ranked among the nation's best and he's put players in a position to succeed and earn conference, national and All-America honors."
Also in 2025, Galante helped guide kicker Patrick Durkin to American Athletic Conference (AAC) Special Teams Player of the Year honors, a first in program history. Along with Durkin, punter Alec Clark earned first-team all-conference accolades, while TJ Smith and Jason Arredondo earned third-team honors as return specialist and long snapper, respectively.
"My family and I are extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the historic Florida football program," Galante said. "We look forward to serving the Gainesville community and bringing a winning edge to the kicking game at the University of Florida."
Prior to Tulane, Galante served as special teams coordinator at Marshal for three seasons from 2022-24. Before his arrival, the unit was ranked 74th in the nation in 2021 in the SFEI rankings. In his final season in 2024 with the Thundering Herd, the special teams group ranked 24th in the country. Individually in 2024, Ian Foster was named First-Team All-Sun Belt as a return specialist for Marshall.
In 2023, Jayden Harrison was a standout for Marshall, earning first-team accolades from the FWAA, Walter Camp, CBS Sports and Sports Info Solutions as a return specialist. Harrison led the FBS with a 31.9 kickoff return average and tied for the FBS lead with two kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Also in 2023, Harrison was named First-Team All-Sun Belt as a return specialist, while punter John McConnell earned third-team honors.
Prior to Marshall, he was the special teams analyst at the University of Alabama (2019-2022) and the special teams graduate assistant at Virginia Tech (2017-2018).
Galante has his Bachelor's of Science in Consumer Studies and a minor in Business. He and his wife, Nicole, have one daughter, Juliana, and one son, Joel.
Johnathan Galante Coaching History
| Year | Position, School |
|---|---|
| 2026-pres. | Special Teams Coordinator, Florida |
| 2025 | Special Teams Coordinator, Tulane |
| 2022-24 | Special Teams Coordinator, Marshall |
| 2019-22 | Special Teams Analyst, Alabama |
| 2017-18 | Special Teams Graduate Assistant, Virginia Tech |
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