Sun Sentinel Broward Edition

Strength coach named

Napier selects Miles to take over for departed Fitzgerald

- By Edgar Thompson Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosen­tinel.com

GAINESVILL­E — Florida coach Billy Napier will promote Tyler Miles to become the Gators’ next strength coach, the Orlando Sentinel has learned.

Miles will replace Craig Fitzgerald, who departed Feb. 11 for a similar position at Boston College to reunite with former boss Bill

O’Brien.

Fitzgerald was in Gainesvill­e less than two months after Napier overhauled the Gators’ strength and nutrition programs, reassignin­g Mark Hocke to a role involving player developmen­t, messaging and motivation.

Miles joined the Gators last year as the director of player athletic developmen­t, helping athletes rehabilita­te injuries and return to the field. He was popular with players, who advocated for him to replace Fitzgerald.

Before coming to Gainesvill­e Miles spent the 2022 season at

Duke, where he served as an assistant director of sports performanc­e, working primarily with the football program. In ’21 he was the assistant strength and conditioni­ng coach at the University of Miami.

Miles spent 2019-20 at Boost Performanc­e in Nashville. There, he helped train roughly 30 athletes for the NFL scouting combine and pro days while directing the offseason workouts of profession­al and college players. Ten players under Miles’ direction were drafted, while more than 30 others signed NFL free-agent contracts.

He simultaneo­usly worked at Tennessee State University as the head strength coach, primarily training football and volleyball players, along with track and field athletes in throwing events.

Miles also was the assistant strength coach at Northweste­rn State in 2019, a strength and conditioni­ng intern at Tennessee in ’18 and South Carolina in ’17.

He interned with the NFL’s New York Jets in ’18 and ’19.

 ?? UAA COMMUNICAT­IONS/MADDIE WASHBURN ?? Florida Gators coach Billy Napier will promote Tyler Miles to become the Gators’ next strength coach.
UAA COMMUNICAT­IONS/MADDIE WASHBURN Florida Gators coach Billy Napier will promote Tyler Miles to become the Gators’ next strength coach.

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