Gators assistants Corey Raymond and Keary Colbert long ago established reputations as robust recruiters and developers of talent. The first round of the NFL Draft showcased their prowess. They both had a former pupil selected in the first round. More specifically, in the first eight picks.
“It shows we can go out and recruit and develop,” Raymond said. “It’s just not about recruiting. It’s about developing.”
And both Raymond and Colbert were in Las Vegas to share the experience.
When the Houston Texans used the third overall pick of the draft to select LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., Raymond basked in the moment with Stingley’s family. He has known Stingley since he was in seventh grade.
“I was glad to be there for them,” Raymond said. “Help make their dream come true. That was our biggest thing when we first started. Like I told his pops, ‘one day, you are going to cry on draft night.’ I told him that about three years ago.
“He did.”
ALL LOVE…… pic.twitter.com/IK7YZ92oPm
— Corey Raymond (@UF_CoachRaymond) April 29, 2022
Colbert spent draft night with Southern Cal receiver Drake London, who is now a teammate of former Gators All-American tight end Kyle Pitts. The Atlanta Falcons selected London with the eighth overall pick.
Colbert is a Southern California native who grew up in Ventura County, where London is from. As a Trojans assistant, Colbert recruited the two-sport standout and helped him develop into the first receiver — and first offensive skill-position player — selected in this year’s draft.
Colbert didn’t want to miss London’s big night. The day after the Orange & Blue Game last month, Colbert flew to Los Angeles to support London during USC’s Pro Day.
“It was special for a number of reasons,” Colbert said. “His dad is from my hometown, so there’s a lot of connections. Throughout recruiting, that was a lot that we always talked about. He’s just a very special young man and family. We’re always going to be family. That’s why it was so important for me to support him any way I could.”
Just three short years apart for @DrakeLondon_
(from @kearycolbert‘s IG) pic.twitter.com/lSO89Z4Lxd
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) April 28, 2022
Napier lured both coaches away from their home states following coaching transitions at their alma maters. Raymond, a former LSU defensive back, and Colbert, who starred as a receiver for USC, can relate to the players they recruit. Both spent six seasons in the NFL. Raymond was a cornerback for the Giants and Lions, and Colbert a receiver for the Panthers, Broncos, Lions, Seahawks and Chiefs.
They connect with young players interested in the same dreams they once had.
“These guys are some of the best in the country,” Napier said of Raymond and Colbert on National Signing Day. “The proven record from a recruiting standpoint, but more importantly a development standpoint. I think they’re great teachers.”
Shortly after Napier was named Florida’s coach, Raymond’s addition was greeted with high praise. In more than a decade as an assistant at LSU, Raymond produced a pipeline that carried defensive-back talent from Baton Rouge to the NFL, including seven All-Americans: Eric Reid, Jalen Mills, Jamal Adams, Tre’Davious White, Greedy Williams, Grant Delpit and Stingley Jr.
Stingley surpassed Adams (sixth overall in the 2017 draft) as Raymond’s highest-drafted prodigy. LSU cornerback Cordale Flott was taken in the third round on Friday by the New York Giants.
While head coach at Louisiana, Napier discovered first-hand Raymond’s talent as a recruiter, primarily when both schools pursued the same players. Napier quickly moved to hire Raymond when he took the Florida job.
“He’s a professional. He’s been through some battles. He’s played in the big games; he’s coached in the big games,” Napier said during spring camp. “He’s a guy that there’s just a certain level of wisdom and experience when it comes to coaching players — when you’ve been through it before. I know the players respect him because he’s very good at what he does.”
The 39-year-old Colbert transitioned into coaching after his playing career. He was Carolina’s second-round pick in 2004 and spent six seasons as an assistant at USC before moving to Florida.
Colbert coached receivers such as Michael Pittman Jr., Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyler Vaughns and London with the Trojans. London became the first Trojans receiver to get drafted in the top 10 since Mike Williams in 2005 and just the fourth ever, joining Curtis Conway and Keyshawn Johnson.
After the draft, Colbert returned to the recruiting trail. He is enthusiastic about the prospects of recruiting for a brand like the Gators and with a recent success story such as London, who was all-state and basketball and football.
“It definitely helps,” he said. “I think recruits are going to make their decision based on a number of factors. I think development is always part of that decision. He was a two-sport athlete, and there were a lot of guys that were ranked higher than him, either in the state or nationally.
“When anyone has a player that goes that high, there has to be some sort of development piece or confidence that I think a recruit would have in choosing a school or coach or a style of offense, or whatever it may be. At the end of the day, you’ve still got to build relationships, and there still has to be trust.”
Raymond and Colbert are good in that area, too. Their trip to the draft to reunite with their former players is proof.
They hope to have similar experiences with future Gators.
“It was a blessing to come here because of what Coach Napier is trying to build,” Raymond said. “It’s a really good job at a place to develop players. It’s the Sunshine State, a fertile recruiting area. You have a chance to have many good players and get Florida back to winning the big ones.
“I’m just here to carry the torch. Somebody at LSU is probably trying to take what I did to another level. I’m just trying to do the same here, keep advancing and take it to a next level.”