Coach ,

At 27 years old, he became the youngest defensive coordinator in the FBS when hired at Southern Miss. After two seasons he joined Nick Saban’s staff as the linebackers coach in January of 2023, but was named as the defensive coordinator of the Florida Gators in February.

He’s still the youngest coordinators in the Power 5, and with the departure of Patrick Toney for the NFL, Austin Armstrong moved to Gainesville to fill that role.

After facing USM while Armstrong was the DC, Nick Saban said, “They have a very good defensive team for their level of play. I would equate their defense to an SEC-type defense in terms of the way they’ve played so far this year.”

Coach Armstrong is not a surprise to the coaches that know him. Kirby Smart said of Armstrong when he was hired by USM at 27, 

“Austin is one of the sharpest guys to come through our program. Kids relate to him and love playing for him. I have no doubt that he will get USM back to playing great defense like they have in the past.”

Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts also thinks highly of Armstrong. Coach Roberts noted when Armstong was hired at USM, 

“Austin is one of the next bright stars in this profession. He will do an amazing job at USM.”

So far, Coach Armstrong has lived up to the expectations of his mentors.

Having served under Coach Roberts at Lousiana, it’s no surprise that simulated pressures are part of Coach Armstrong’s defensive package.

For any concept, defining when it will be used helps create understanding for the players and streamlines the game planning process. Here is Coach Armstrong defining when he likes to use a simulated pressure (click image for video):

Video: When to call Sims

He likes taking a “same as” approach to teaching their sims to be sure that they have everything covered and aren’t exposing themselves somewhere. Here Coach Armstrongs illustrates the banjo technique that they utilize as part of their simulated pressures (click on image for video).

Video: Banjo

The pressure is certainly greater now in the Power 5 for Coach Armstrong, but as he noted in an interview, “I’ve also been a defensive coordinator — this is my third season,” Armstrong said. “So I’m 29 going on, like, 59.”

Coach Armstrong will be able to show his preparedness right away. The Gators open with a big test right off the bat with Utah on August 31st.  

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski