Florida to hire veteran coach Paul Pasqualoni as special assistant, per report

By Adam Silverstein
July 13, 2020
Florida to hire veteran coach Paul Pasqualoni as special assistant, per report
Football

Though head coach Dan Mullen has gone through a quiet offeseason when it comes to his coaching staff with the Florida Gators bringing back the same group of coaches they used a year ago, it appears as if there will be a new face in the facility soon. Veteran defensive coach Paul Pasqualoni, who has previously served as head coach at Syracuse (1991-2004) and UConn (2011-13), is expected to join the Gators as a special assistant to Mullen, according to Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel.

Pasqualoni, 70, comes off a two-year stint as defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. He had been a defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears (2014), Houston Texans (2015) and at Boston College (2016-17) after his tenure at UConn came to a close. He also spent two seasons as the Miami Dolphins’ defensive coordinator (2008-09) and four years in various roles with the Dallas Cowboys (2005-07, 2010). In all, Pasqualoni has been coaching football uninterrupted since 1972.

His role at Florida will be in an off-field capacity, and it will reunite him with Mullen, who was his graduate assistant at Syracuse in 1998. Pasqualoni will help “the offensive staff break down opposing defenses” while taking a “macro view” of the program alongside Mullen, according to Thamel.

The fact that the Gators are hiring Pasqualoni may speak positively toward the University Athletic Association’s financial situation. During a time where athletic departments across the country are canceling sports and asking their coaches to take temporary salary cuts, Florida has done neither while simultaneously adding to Mullen’s staff.

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