When Billy Gonzales was hired as interim Florida football coach on Sunday, Oct. 19, one of the first people he reached out to was the man who first brought him to Gainesville in 2005.
Gonzales worked under Florida Gators football coach Urban Meyer as wide receivers coach for five years (2005-09) during which Florida won national titles in 2006 and 2008.
“He was my position coach in college,” Gonzales said. “I obviously had a chance to work with him at three different stops. And I did, I reached out to him.
“I wanted to have a chance to talk to him a little bit about the team concept. One of the unique things he talked about and we talked about is you’re walking into a situation where it’s not the perfect situation for you, Billy, but at the same time you want to make sure you’re here for the players.”
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin tabbed Gonzales as interim coach to replace Billy Napier in part due to his passion for UF. The 54-year-old Gonzales has worked at Florida for three different stints as receivers coach, under Meyer from 2005-09, under Dan Mullen from 2018-21 and under Napier from 2023-25.
“He’s been around the University of Florida now in three different decades,” Stricklin said. “Been a part of three different staffs. Been a part of this place when we were winning championships. He understands that pedigree. This place is important to him. I think he’ll do a great job of leading this group and the staff through the remainder of this season.”
Gonzales, who began his coaching career 31 years ago as a receivers coach at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, has never been a head coach.
“Florida is a special place to me,” Gonzales said, “I’ve worked for this program for 12 years. I take this new role to heart. It means a ton to me.”
How Billy Gonzales intends to lead Florida football
Gonzales said he doesn’t intend to make any staff changes. Ron Roberts will stay in charge of the defense as defensive coordinator. Offensively, Gonzales said it will be a collaborative effort with quarterbacks coach Ryan O’Hara calling the plays.
“When you start looking at things we talk about, how we want to win and why we win, obviously we want to be able to score in the red zone,” Gonzales said. “We want to be able to play great defense. We want to win the turnover battle. And we want to be great on special teams, obviously, again.”
Florida has an open week to get ready for its game under Gonzales on Nov. 1 against rival and No. 5 Georgia in Jacksonville (3:30 p.m., ABC).
“My goal is to make sure that these guys understand I’m going to be me,” Gonzales said. “I’m a little different than Coach Napier. I love Coach. I’m different than Urban. I’m different than some of the other coaches that I’ve worked for. I’m going to be me. But I want make sure these guys know we’ll try to put them in the best possible position to go make those plays. And I’m excited. I’m excited about the opportunity, by all means.”
Florida players are excited to play under Gonzales, who brings energy in practice on a daily basis.
“He’s fired up all the time,” Florida linebacker Myles Graham said. “I think he’s a great leader … you know, your room is a reflection of you, and that room plays tenacious, they play relentless. They get the job done. So I’m excited to play with Coach Gonzales and give it up and give my all for him.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football interim coach Billy Gonzales eager to help UF finish the season strong
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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