Interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim promotes several to fill vacancies on defensive staff

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One day after parting ways with Mike Locksley, interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim has finalized a handful of promotions along the defensive staff.

As reported on IBG on Thursday, Zac Spavital will shed the 'co' title and take over as the defensive coordinator with Abdul-Rahim now in a head coaching role. Spavital's promotion also comes with safeties coach James Thomas stepping up into a 'co-defensive coordinator' role, filling Abdul-Rahim's initial title prior to the head coaching change.

This marks the second time that Spavital will have a chance to call plays in his career after previously serving as defensive coordinator at Texas State for four seasons beginning in 2019. The Tulsa, Ok. native also served as co-defensive coordinator at Texas Tech in 2018, while he's drawn positive feedback during his tenure as an effective teacher for his position groups. Spavital first joined the program ahead of the 2023 season and spent two years as the safeties coach before spending the last two as the inside linebackers coach.

Thomas arrived in 2021 as a quality control analyst where he and former coordinator Brian Williams teamed up to prove a dynamic duo on the recruiting trail, both in Florida and locally. After briefly accepting a position on Billy Napier's first staff at Florida, Thomas was then re-hired by Mike Locksley weeks later as the new special teams coordinator ahead of the 2022 season. Thomas, who also worked under former coordintator Ron Zook during his stint in College Park, also coached the outside linebacker room for three seasons beginning 2022 before coaching safeties the last two seasons. Thomas previously served as the co-defensive coordinator at Angelo State, while the Orlando, Fl. native has consistently drawn positive feedback from his players and on the recruiting trail.

Yet the coaching moves was also met with two former players getting a shot as position coaches with David Brownlee named the new outside linebackers coach and Will Likely the new cornerbacks coach.

Brownlee, a former walk-on linebacker, has ascended through the program since ending his time as a player in College Park, shifting into a defensive analyst role where he worked with the defensive line and outside linebackers. Also one who drew positive feedback as one who does well connecting with recruits, Brownlee has long served as a go-to resource for players during offseason workouts. He now inherits a room spearheaded by Sidney Stewart and Zion Elee, giving the Bishop McNamara product a chance to prove himself in an interim role.

Likely, meanwhile, has been with the program since Abdul-Rahim returned ahead of the 2024 season where the former All-Big Ten selection will now get a chance to work with his position group. Likely made a name for himself a player from 2013-2016 where he still ranks top ten in multiple categories, including career marks in interceptions returned for TD (2), kickoff return yards (2,233), kickoff returns (87), kickoff returns for TD (2), kickoff yards/return (25.7), punt return yards (864), all-purpose yards/play (18.82), yards/punt return (12.90), punt returns for TD (4), punt returns (67) and interception return yards (170). Likely also started on both offense and defense in each of his final two seasons with the program, in addition to being named the 2015 Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year.

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