GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida head coach
Jim McElwain announced Saturday that
Corey Bell and
Brad Davis will join UF's coaching staff as assistant coaches in 2017.
Bell's ties with UF's current coaching staff runs deep as he was the University of Miami's director of football operations from 2007-10, which is when current UF defensive coordinator
Randy Shannon was UM's head coach. In addition, Bell was a two-year varsity letterman and starting cornerback at the University of South Carolina where he played alongside current UF defensive line coach,
Chris Rumph.
Bell earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from South Carolina in 1995 and went on to earn his master's degree in social studies education from Nova Southeastern in 2000.
Bell comes to Gainesville after being named South Florida's defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator less than a month ago.
Prior to accepting the job at USF, Bell, a Miami native, coached FAU's defensive backs the past two seasons. He also made a name for himself as a head coach at American Senior High School (2011-13) and Miami Edison Senior High School (1997-2007).
During his time at American in Miami-Dade County, he led the Patriots to three consecutive district championships. In between high school head coaching stints, Bell was at UM for those four years with Shannon.
Bell took over the Miami Edison program at 25 years old, making him the youngest head coach in the state of Florida. Prior to his arrival, the team went 0-10, but Bell quickly built Edison into one of Dade County's top football programs. His teams made five consecutive state playoff appearances and won three-straight district titles. His 2003 team was ranked No. 1 in Miami-Dade County. Over his tenure, Bell had 84 Division I signees, including six All-Americans. He was named the Miami Dolphins Coach of the Year for his work in 2003 and his 2004 class earned a No. 3 national rank for Division I signees.
Bell and his wife, Tamika, have two daughters, Daijah and Dahnia.
Corey Bell comes to Florida with relationships on its current staff and on the recruiting trail.
Meanwhile, Davis is no stranger to Gainesville.
Over the past two years, Davis coached at North Texas (2016) and East Carolina (2015) who each made a visit to The Swamp during his lone season on each staff.
He was the offensive line coach for each program.
Prior to his one season at ECU, Davis played a key role in guiding prolific offenses at James Madison and Portland State. He was the JMU co-offensive coordinator and line coach during the 2014 campaign where he helped the Dukes to a 9-4 overall mark and the school's first Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff appearance since 2011 after a third-place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Davis and James Madison stood 10th nationally in total offense with a 484.6 yards-per-game average, 17th in scoring with a 35.7 points-per-game clip and 21st in both rushing and passing.
Before joining JMU in 2014, Davis spent the previous five years at Portland State (2009-13), serving as the run-game coordinator and offensive line coach as part of the program's pistol package. Under Davis, the Vikings had 10 players earn All-Big Sky Conference honors while ranking among the nation's leaders in fewest sacks allowed.
Davis was an offensive line staff assistant at North Carolina in 2008 and also spent two years as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M.
A frequently requested speaker, Davis has delivered presentations at the Nike Coach-of-the-Year Clinic and American Football Coaches Association Convention. He also served on the AFCA's Public Relations Committee from 2007 to 2010 and had motivational articles published in the association's magazine.
Davis is a Baton Rouge, La. native and 2003 graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he was a starting offensive lineman for current OU Head Coach Bob Stoops. He competed on two Big XII Championship teams, the 2000 National Championship squad and played in the Independence Bowl (1999), Orange Bowl (2000), Cotton Bowl (2001) and Rose Bowl (2002).
Davis was the team's Most Valuable Offensive Lineman in 2002.
Davis completed his bachelor's degree in social studies education from Oklahoma in 2003 before following with a master's in kinesiology and sports management from Texas A&M in 2008.
He and his wife Anecia have a son, Bradley.
Brad Davis has been in The Swamp the past two seasons as an opponent with UNT and ECU.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Head Coach Jim McElwain:
"We are excited to have Corey and Brad join our staff. Corey has played in the SEC and has deep roots in the state of Florida. Brad also has strong relationship in our recruiting areas and has won championships as a player. Both are good teachers who will help our players be successful on the field and beyond their playing days."
Assistant Coach Corey Bell:
"I'm very excited about the opportunity to join the Gator football family and being part of one of the most powerful brands in all of college athletics. I have a lot of respect for Coach Mac and I'm looking forward to working with a great group of players and staff."
Assistant Coach Brad Davis:
"I can't wait to get to Florida and get right to work. I can't wait to meet the players, spend time with them and help them achieve their goals. I'm also looking forward to bringing kids in who have values that fit the goals this championship-level program."
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