Who Is Billy Gonzales? Meet Interim Head Coach for Gators
With the firing of head coach Billy Napier, heads turn to who comes next.
In the meantime, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said Sunday wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales steps into the role as interim with tight ends coach Russ Callaway to call plays on offense. The two coaches were chosen over defensive coordinator Ron Roberts and running backs and associate head coach Jabbar Juluke, who was out of the running after his three-game suspension for his involvement in a pregame altercation at LSU.
“Coach Gonzales has been a valued member of our program for many years, including being a part of multiple championship teams,” Stricklin said in a statement Sunday. “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.”
Loading ...Gonzales, a well-liked and respected coach by his players, is in his 12th season in three stints with Florida, seeing two national championships in the Tim Tebow era under coach Urban Meyer. He has been a wide receivers coach for his entire career, beginning at MacMurray in 1994.
He started his time in Gainesville in 2005 after coaching at MacMurray, Kent State (1995-2001), Bowling Green (2001-2002) and Utah (2003-2004). Gonzales also served as the special teams coordinator for the Utes.
In 2008, he added the title “recruiting coordinator” before heading to LSU in 2010, acting as passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. There, Gonzales worked with players like Odell Beckham Jr. in 2011, leading the Tigers to an SEC Championship and runner-up finish to Alabama in the National Championship Game.
After that, Gonzales, 54, went to Illinois for the 2012 season, serving as co-offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach.
He began a five-season tenure as wide receivers coach and four seasons with the additional title of co-offensive coordinator under coach Dan Mullen at Mississippi State. In 2018, Gonzales continued in the roles when he followed Mullen back to Florida.
When Mullen was fired ahead of the Napier era, Gonzales went to Florida Atlanta before returning to Florida last season, contributing to the impressive finish to the 2024 season.
Callaway, the new Florida playcaller who is in his fourth season with the program, began coaching in 2011. His first job was under Nick Saban at Alabama as defensive analyst. In his two seasons in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide won back-to-back national championships.
In 2013 and 2014, Callaway served as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Murray State. He then went to Samford five years, holding the titles of wide receivers coach, pass game coordinator, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Next, Callaway, 37, acted as senior offensive assistant and analyst at LSU in 2020, the year after the Tigers won a national championship.
In 2021, he made his NFL debut as offensive assistant in the New York Giants’ 4-13 season. He then came to Gainesville as a defensive intern in 2022, the beginning of Napier’s tenure, before becoming the tight ends coach the following season. His official coaching page has him listed as the “offensive coordinator,” but playcalling was something Napier fought to do himself.
While this is the coaching plan for now, a full factory reset is probable. Former Gators chimed in after news broke, including running back La’Mical Perine, who posted on X “Keep Billy G please!”
When it comes to potential transfers and flips for commits, moving up the wide receivers coach helps keep young players like Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III. Florida has two weeks to regroup from the big change before playing No. 5 Georgia in Jacksonville Nov. 1.
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