Joker Phillips, a longtime coach at Kentucky, will join Florida this week as the receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.
He will begin recruiting for the Gators on Friday and will be part of the staff when they face Louisville, his former in-state rival, in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2.
Phillips, 49, was fired last month after three seasons as the Wildcats’ head coach. He went 13-24 and lost all three of his games against UF.
Phillips has been involved in major-college football since 1988. He was a receivers coach nearly the entire time, as well as five years as an offensive coordinator.
“His background as a head coach and the number of years he has coached wide receivers will be a tremendous asset,” coach Will Muschamp said in a statement. “Joker is obviously very familiar with the Southeastern Conference and has always done a great job in recruiting.
“Obviously I had a number of experiences with Joker both on and off the field, as our paths have crossed often. I’ve been really impressed with Joker Phillips as a man during this hiring process.”
Phillips played receiver for Kentucky in the 1980s and played two seasons in the NFL. He returned to the school as a graduate assistant in 1988 and stayed through ’96. Kentucky brought him back as a receivers coach and recruiting coordinator in 2003, and he stayed there until his dismissal.
He also coached receivers at Cincinnati, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina.
Former receivers coach Aubrey Hill resigned in August and his name has been linked to the ongoing scandal at Miami. Florida had used graduate assistant Bush Hamdan in his place.
All-SEC team announced: Six Gators landed on the Associated Press' all-SEC first team, including former Dwyer High School standout Matt Elam.
Elam, a safety, and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd were the only first-team players picked from UF’s defense, which is fifth in the nation in fewest yards allowed.
The Gators’ other selections were running back Mike Gillislee, tight end Jordan Reed, kicker Caleb Sturgis and punter Kyle Christy. Cornerback Marcus Roberson made the second team.
Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin won Coach of the Year, and Aggies freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel was Offensive Player of the Year. Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones was voted Defensive Player of the Year.
