By Mark Pszonak
After five seasons with Florida and nine seasons in the NFL, former Gators running back Earnest Graham began his coaching career. Yesterday, his next stop was announced as he will be a high school head coach in New Mexico.
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Graham, who played his high school football at Mariner in Fort Myers, Florida, enjoyed a very successful career with the Gators. At the conclusion of his time in Gainesville, he ranked as one of the best running backs in Florida history. Graham finished third in school history in rushing touchdowns (33), fifth in rushing yardage (3,065 yards) and ninth in all-purpose yards (3,468).
His NFL career began slowly, but through hard work and patience he eventually made his mark in the league. Undrafted in 2003, he spent time with Tampa Bay and Cleveland before returning to the Buccaneers. Mostly used as a special teams player during his first three seasons, he finally received an opportunity in the backfield in 2007 after several injuries hit the Buccaneers. He responded by rushing for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns that season. Overall, he rushed for 2,047 yards, had 904 receiving yards and totaled 16 touchdowns during his NFL career which concluded in 2011.
Graham began his coaching career at North Fort Myers High School and has had several other stops in Florida (Oasis, Gainesville and Evangelical Christian) and one in Georgia (Woodward Academy). At Evangelical Christian he coached his son, Myles Graham, who was an All-SEC freshman in 2024 with 30 tackles, one interception and one sack.
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The former SEC running back will have a difficult task at Santa Fe High School, which has only won two games since the 2021 season. Graham is also Santa Fe’s fourth head coach since the 2022 season.
