Steve Spurrier weighs in on Billy Gonzales, Lane Kiffin and Florida’s coaching search

The Florida Gators are a week and a half into a coaching search after the program dismissed former head coach Billy Napier on October 19. That move came during UF’s second BYE week, so the team had a week to process Napier’s firing, as well as resetting focus to this weekend’s game against the Georgia Bulldogs. That game will mark the first contest where Billy Gonzales is calling the shots after being appointed as the Gators’ interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Florida Gators Football Coaching Hot Board: 2.0
Join Gators Online for ONLY $1 today!

Steve Spurrier believes that Billy Gonzales could provide a spark

Firing a coach in-season can usually make a tough season even tougher. However, there have also been examples of improved play after a firing at schools like UCLA and UAB this season. Former Florida Gators head coach Steve Spurrier made his weekly appearance on ‘Another Dooley Noted Podcast‘. During that appearance, Spurrier said that Gonzales has a chance to prove himself this weekend against a tough Georgia opponent.

“We got a lot of games left and can still make some noise,” Steve Spurrier said on the show. “Billy Gonzales and his guys got an opportunity to do it.”

Gonzales has served primarily as a wide receiver coach at the majority of his past stops in his career. This weekend, as well as the remainder of Florida’s games this season, will be Gonzales’s first opportunity as a head coach, even if it’s in an interim capacity. It’s unknown if Coach Gonzales will have the opportunity to remain under the next head coach. However, Spurrier believes these final games under his leadership can serve as a strong audition, no matter what his fate is.

“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for him,” he said. “If this guy proves to be a heck of a head coach and we start winning all the time, I mean, his name could pop up for the head job.”

Sign up for the Gators Online Newsletter today!

HBC comments on the Florida coaching search

Steve Spurrier and host Pat Dooley didn’t dive deep into the Florida Gators’ search on this week’s episode. However, there was some discussion of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. With LSU firing Brian Kelly this past weekend, Kiffin’s name has been mentioned as a person of interest for the Tigers’ next head man. It’s been well documented that Kiffin is a popular name in UF’s search. Furthermore, Ole Miss hopes to make an aggressive push to keep him in Oxford for future years. Kiffin has traditionally been a popular name among coaching searches when jobs around the country open up.

Kiffin has been successful in Oxford. There has even been success as rumors pop up weekly linking Kiffin as a potential candidate for job openings. Steve Spurrier commended how he’s handled the rumor talk, and still has his team playing at a high level.

“He’s without a doubt the hottest name out there right now,” Spurrier said. “See how it all plays out, but I think he’s done an excellent job putting it away right now. Just tell his team, ‘You guys are the reason I get a lot of attention right now. But I don’t plan on going anywhere. Let’s try and have as big a year as possible’.

Digging into the Eli Drinkwitz era at Missouri

With how heavily connected Spurrier is to Florida, his words will always carry weight when he talks about all things Gator. When speaking with USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer last week, Spurrier dove a bit deeper into possible head coaching candidates that he’s been impressed with.

“I firmly think [Lane Kiffin] is a very good coach. There’s no question about that, I like him,” Spurrier told Toppmeyer. “I like [Missouri Tigers head coach] Eli Drinkwitz. I like a lot of guys out there that are proven winners.”