Veteran assistant Tom Carter to remain on Land O'Lakes staff

It appears Land O'Lakes' 2009 football coaching staff will have a few holdovers from the John Benedetto era, including the man hand-picked by Benedetto to succeed him.

Veteran Gators assistant and LOL alumnus Tom Carter, bypassed for the head coaching job that ultimately went to Matt Kitchie, said Monday morning he intends to work on Kitchie's staff for at least one year. Carter will coach the offensive and defensive lines.

Carter's announcement comes less than a week after Al Claggett, the only defensive coordinator in school history, confirmed he won't return to the Gators sideline. Neither Benedetto nor Claggett had their teaching contracts extended for a 39th year.

"It was the right thing to do for the kids, I think," said Carter, a teacher in the specific learning disability program at Land O'Lakes.

Carter, who has applied for several county head coaching positions in recent years, said he'll continue pursuing the dream of running his own program. He'll be re-joined on the sideline by veteran Benedetto assistants Bill Gebauer and Rock Ridgeway.

Kitchie said Gebauer will coach receivers, while Ridgeway will oversee linebackers and serve as the team's academic coordinator, helping spearhead an after-school study hall for players in academic trouble.

Kitchie calls it the "Win" program. "We're going to win, and it's not talking about anything on the field, but win in the classroom," Kitchie said. "The reality is, these kids are going to go pro in a lot more than sports."

JOEY KNIGHT