Billy Napier is expected to hire Jay Bateman as the Gators’ inside linebackers coach, according to a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Bateman previously served as North Carolina’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach over the last three seasons.
He was fired after his 2021 defense ranked 10th in the ACC in total defense and 11th in scoring defense.
However, he played a key part in the Tar Heels’ recruiting uptick under head coach Mack Brown. They signed the nation’s 14th-ranked classes in 2020 and 2021, and their 2022 class currently ranks eighth, a tremendous accomplishment for a school mostly known for its basketball success.