Skip to main content

Florida wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales will serve as interim

On3 imageby: Zach Abolverdi16 hours agoZachAbolverdi
Billy-Gonzales-Florida-Gators
Florida Gators assistant coach for wide receivers Billy Gonzales gestures before the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators will reportedly name Billy Gonzales as the team’s interim coach. He will take over for Billy Napier, who was fired on Sunday. His record was 22-23 record at UF.

Gonzales has worked on Napier’s staff since 2023. His return to Gainesville that year marked his third stint with the Gators as their wide receivers coach. His first was 2005-09 and he returned from 2018-21.

Of the 27 draft picks that Gonzales has coached in his career, 18 have been receivers and four were first-round picks, including LSU’s Odell Beckham Jr. The others were Percy HarvinKadarius Toney and Ricky Pearsall, three of 12 receivers drafted from Florida after being coached by Gonzales.

Florida Gators Football Coaching Hot Board: 1.0

Gonzales has also had eight WRs selected in the first two rounds, with the latest being Pearsall. He had a breakout season in 2023 under his tutelage, recording career highs in catches (65) and receiving yards (965) with four touchdowns. He was a first-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers.

Gonzales is the seventh interim coach in Florida football history. He will coach the most games in a season since Gary Darnell in 1989, who went 3-4 before Steve Spurrier took over as UF’s coach.

The Gators have now had five interim coaches in the last 22 years after just two — Darnell and Galen Hall — in the 20 years prior (1984-2003). Hall was the first interim coach in school history.

Billy Gonzales background

Gonzales made history in the 2020 NFL Draft when Van JeffersonFreddie Swain and Tyrie Cleveland became the first trio of UF receivers selected in the first seven rounds of the draft. It marked the first time three Florida WRs were drafted since Wes Chandler, Terry LeCount and Derrick Gaffney in 1978.

Last season, Gonzales helped transfer receivers Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike boost their draft stock with breakout years. Badger led the Gators in receiving yards (806) and touchdowns (4) on 39 receptions. He averaged 20.7 yards per catch, which ranked No. 5 nationally.

Sign up for the Gators Online Newsletter today!

Dike recorded a team-high 42 receptions for 783 yards, which marked a single-season career high for him, and two touchdowns. His 18.6 yards per catch ranked No. 17 in the country. Badger had three 100-yard games in 2024, and Dike had three games with 90-plus receiving yards.

The last UF receiver with a 1,000-yard season was Taylor Jacobs in 2002 (1,088). Since then, only five Gators have hit the 900-yard mark in a single season — Chad Jackson (2005), Dallas Baker (2006), Riley Cooper (2009), Kadarius Toney (2020) and Ricky Pearsall (2023) — and all of them were coached by Gonzales.

Only four Gators since 2002 have caught touchdown passes in four straight games — Baker (2005-06), Harvin (2008), Toney (2020) and Trevon Grimes (2020) — and all of them were coached by Gonzales.

In addition to the back-to-back Super Bowl rings by Jefferson and Toney, Gonzales also coached four of the nine players in UF history to win a national title and the Super Bowl: Baker (Pittsburgh, 2009), Deonte Thompson (Baltimore, 2012), Andre Caldwell (Denver, 2016) and Harvin (Seattle, 2014).

Florida Gators interim coaches

2021: Greg Knox, 1-1
2017: Randy Shannon, 1-3
2014: DJ Durkin, 1-0
2004: Charlie Strong, 0-1
1989: Gary Darnell, 3-4
1984: Galen Hall, 8-0

Billy Gonzales coaching history

YearSchool, Position
2023-PresFlorida, Wide Receivers
2022Florida Atlantic, Wide Receivers
2018-2021Florida, Co-Offensive Coordinator / Wide Receivers
2014-17Mississippi State, Co-Offensive Coordinator / Wide Receivers
2013Mississippi State, Wide Receivers
2012Illinois, Co-Offensive Coordinator / Wide Receivers
2010-11LSU, Passing Game Coordinator / Wide Receivers
2008-09Florida, Wide Receivers / Recruiting Coordinator
2005-07Florida, Wide Receivers
2003-04Utah, Wide Receivers / Special Teams Coordinator
2001-02Bowling Green, Wide Receivers
1995-2001Kent State, Wide Receivers
1994MacMurray, Wide Receivers

Not a member of Gators Online?

CLICK HERE to join the Gators Online community for $1! It’s the top place for passionate Florida fans to find the best insight and news in the market. 

Boasting a talented collection of experienced journalists, we dig deep into recruiting and provide breaking news and analysis on UF sports

You may also like