JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Jaguars have announced three additions to the coaching staff as part of the NFL’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program: Ari Confesor, Anthony Gaitor and Dawson Odoms. The three coaches will be with the team for the Jaguars’ offseason program from May to June.
For over 30 years, the league-wide fellowship program has helped outstanding coaches gain exposure to NFL training camps and offseason workout programs.
Confesor brings 15 years of coaching and scouting experience with stops at the University of Rhode Island (2009-12 and 2013-18), the Kansas City Chiefs (2012-13), College of the Holy Cross (2018-19), the United States Air Force Academy (2019-23) and Wake Forest University (2023-25). He most recently served as wide receivers coach at Wake Forest University and tutored the program’s all-time leader in receiving yards, WR Taylor Morin, to Honorable Mention All-ACC honors in 2024.
Confesor earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from College of the Holy Cross, where he was a wide receiver/return specialist from 2000-04. He was a two-time All-America selection and is Holy Cross’ all-time leader with 2,352 career receiving yards, 2,267 career kickoff-return yards and 5,370 career all-purpose yards. He was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. A native of Providence, R.I., he and his wife, Katie, have two daughters, Nora and Madalina, and a son, Camden.
Gaitor has spent the past three years on Florida International University’s coaching staff as quality control analyst/defensive assistant coach (2022), outside linebackers coach (2023) and cornerbacks coach (2024-present). Under his guidance in 2024, Florida International finished second in the conference with 11 interceptions and third in passing defense.
Gaitor was drafted as a cornerback by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round (222nd overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. He spent time from 2011-19 in the NFL with Tampa Bay, Miami, Arizona and New Orleans, and in the CFL with the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Gaitor played collegiately at Florida International from 2007-10 and accumulated 197 tackles, 35 passes defensed, 19 tackles for loss, 11 interceptions (three returned for touchdowns) and 4.0 sacks. Gaitor is a native of Miami, Fla., and attended Miami Northwestern High School.
Dawson most recently served as head coach at Norfolk State University from 2021-24. In his first season, the Spartans finished 6-5 after a six-game winning streak, the program’s first winning campaign since 2007. He has coached collegiately since 1999 with stops at Gardner-Web University (1999), Georgia Southern University (2000-01), Clark Atlanta University (2002-05), Bethune-Cookman University (2005-08), North Carolina A&T State University (2009-11), Southern University (2011-21, including nine seasons as head coach from 2013-21) and Norfolk State University (2021-24).
Dawson earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from North Carolina Central University. A defensive lineman at NCCU, Odums was a team captain and All-CIAA selection as a senior. The Shelby, N.C., native and his wife, Audrey, have two daughters, Jasmine and Jaiden.
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