Jeawon Taylor

The Gators ranked second nationally in pass defense and first in pass defense efficiency in Torrian Gray's first go-round at UF in 2016. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

Marco Wilson

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – When news broke early Saturday evening that Gators cornerbacks coach Charlton Warren had left to become an assistant at Georgia, the move caught most by surprise.A few Gators took to social media to voice their feelings. More importantly, a couple reached out to former Gators assistant coach, who recently completed his second season as the Washington Redskins' secondary coach.Seniorplayed for Gray as a freshman in 2016 during Gray's one-year stint as UF's defensive backs coach. Taylor texted Gray fishing for an answer to an unlikely question when the sun came up Saturday morning: Would Gray have interest in coming back to Florida?"I was just trying to see,'' Taylor said Wednesday.Taylor wasn't the only one with an inquiring mind."When I first heard about Coach [Warren] leaving, the first thing I thought was to get Coach Gray back,'' said junior cornerback, recruited by Gray in high school when his older brother, Quincy, played for the Gators. "I developed a great relationship with him because I was always up here visiting and coming to my brother's games. I would talk to him all the time."Meanwhile, Gray was surprised, too. With the Redskins not in the playoffs and some rare down time on his calendar, Gray wasn't plugged into the latest spinning of the Southeastern Conference coaching carousel.A native Floridian who starred at Kathleen High in Lakeland and then at Virginia Tech, Gray went into coaching after a knee injury cut short his NFL career. Following stints at Maine, UConn and the Chicago Bears, he spent 10 years as an assistant at his alma mater prior to coming to UF.He said Wednesday he enjoyed his brief return to Florida – Gray's in-laws even moved from out of state to Gainesville to be closer to their youngest granddaughter – but an opportunity to coach his own position group in the NFL was an opportunity difficult to pass on."I planned on staying a lot longer,'' Gray said. "The situation just happened. It's something I hadn't done, being able to coach my own position at that level."Gray's latest unexpected shift has him back with the Gators as cornerbacks coach, an addition UF head coachannounced on Monday. As Gray shuffled around the football offices Wednesday, he still seemed in awe at the latest turn in his career. If you think you've had a hectic week, Gray's has been a blur.First, Taylor and Wilson planted seeds of change by showing interest in him returning to UF. Soon, he was on the phone with Gators defensive coordinator, who was a Virginia Tech assistant during Gray's college career.Around midnight Sunday, Gray was on the ground in Gainesville prepared to meet Mullen for the first time early Monday morning to discuss the opening. Following their meeting, Gray had a new job by the time he got delayed in the Atlanta airport on his way back home to the D.C. area. Finally at home at around 11 Monday night, Gray began to pack for a return trip to Florida on Tuesday.Gray spent part of Tuesday evening watching film of recruits with another former colleague at Virginia Tech, Gators director of player personnel. At least he didn't have to sleep in a hotel. His fiancée's parents stayed in Gainesville the past two years."It's crazy how it happened," said Gray, who turns 45 in March. "They didn't have to worry about showing me the facilities and all those things. It was really just to meet Coach Mullen. It's cool to see the direction that the program is going and come to be a part of it. That's the exciting part."Gray was flattered when contacted by his former players. While he coached Taylor in 2016, he played an important role in the recruitment of Wilson and fellow junior cornerbackGray has a reputation as a strong teacher of technique and fundamentals, using the motto "greatness is in the details" in Washington, where he coached former Gators receiver-turned-defensive back Quinton Dunbar. In his time with the Redskins, they showed significant improvement in pass defense, finishing ninth in the NFL in 2017 in total pass defense and 15th in 2018.Gray garnered positive reviews for his work with the Redskins, much like in his only season with the Gators when UF ranked second nationally in passing yards allowed (148.5) and first in passing efficiency defense.While Gray enjoyed another opportunity in the NFL, he also learned more about himself as a coach."I may be better at coaching college guys. In the NFL, I found out I did really great with the young guys as far as seeing the development in their game, but sometimes some of the older guys, you are not going to get them to change some of their habits,'' he said. "Take Quinton Dunbar. He came from wide receiver to defensive back, so it was still relatively new to him. The guys who made the biggest strides seem like they were the younger guys or guys like Quinton. So I know I'm good at this from what I've done at Virginia Tech and all this. There is something for me in developing guys that I love."Gray takes over a group of cornerbacks at UF that includes Wilson, Henderson, sophomore Trey Dean and early enrollee Chris Steele, Florida's highest-rated recruit in the 2019 signing class.Taylor expects a seamless transition for those unfamiliar in playing for Gray."All the players are going to feel real comfortable around him,'' he said. "He's a great coach, has a great history. He knows how to get the job done."Wilson shares in Taylor's excitement."I've seen what he's done with Teez [Tabor] and my brother their junior year, so I'm just excited to go out and have a great year,'' said Wilson, who continues to rehab from a knee injury that cost him much of last season. "If you watch the film of the DBs he coached at Virginia Tech and then you watch the film of the DBs here, he just teaches them to get that ball. That's what people like, to be a playmaker and get that ball. That's what he does."Gray was scheduled to hit the road recruiting Wednesday afternoon, continuing his whirlwind transition. With National Signing Day on Feb. 6, there's no slowing down.Gray's new office is a short walk from his old one. In his first couple of days on the job, he said hello to a lot of new faces.However, some familiar ones helped make it all possible."For whatever reason they thought of me and reached out,'' he said. "I just thought it all fit."