Florida interim Billy Gonzales reveals how offense will handle play-calling duties

Florida interim head coach Billy Gonzales gave an intriguing answer about play-calling duties moving forward. Now that Gonzales is at helm after the program fired head coach Billy Napier, things have been shaken up.

Gonzales revealed it’s going to be a collaborative effort for play-calling moving forward. Offensive coordinator Russ Callaway will remain in his position, but it’ll be QBs coach Ryan O’Hara calling the plays due to his relationship with quarterback DJ Lagway.

So O’Hara sends in the play calls during Florida game days, but he’ll work with Callaway in the passing game during the week. As far as the run game is concerned, two other coaches will be involved, per Gonzales.

Offensive line coach Rob Sale and running backs coach Jabbar Juluke will collaborate on the run game. Everything comes together for O’Hara to call plays on Saturdays.

Lagway has seen highs and lows as a QB as a sophomore. It seems to be following the same pattern as his freshman season. This year, Lagway has 1,513 yards, nine touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 65.3% completion percentage.

Shortly after On3’s Pete Nakos, Chris Low and Brett McMurphy broke the news of Napier’s ouster Sunday afternoon, AD Stricklin released a lengthy statement confirming the move, which included naming receivers coach Gonzales as the Gators’ interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025 season.

“Today I met with Coach Napier and informed him that a change in leadership of our football program would best serve the interests of the University of Florida,” Stricklin wrote in a statement published to the team’s official website. “On behalf of Gator Nation, I want to sincerely thank Billy and his family for their tireless commitment to the Florida Gators. Billy built a tremendous culture of accountability and growth among the young men he led each day. His organized and detailed approach had a meaningful impact across all levels of our program. As Coach Napier has often said, this is a results-driven business, and while his influence was positive, it ultimately did not translate into the level of success we expect on the field.

“I have named Billy Gonzales as the interim head coach. Coach Gonzales has been a valued member of our program for many years, including being a part of multiple championship teams. He is a Gator through and through. His deep understanding of our culture, our student-athletes, and what it means to represent the University of Florida makes him well-suited to lead our team.”