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Who is Billy Gonzales? What to know of Florida interim head coach after Billy Napier fired
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- Who is Billy Gonzales? What to know of Florida interim head coach after Billy Napier fired
Florida football became the latest program to enter the coaching carousel in 2025, as the Gators announced the firing of Billy Napier on Sunday, Oct. 19.
Replacing him is longtime assistant Billy Gonzales, who will serve as the interim for the remainder of the season.
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Napier, fired midway through his fourth season with the program, finishes his tenure with a 22-23 record. Florida is 3-4 this season after its win over Mississippi State on Oct. 18.
Napier secured some big wins at Florida, especially in 2024, when the Gators won four of their last six games with wins over LSU and Ole Miss. Florida also upset Texas this season at home.
Florida now shifts its focus to who will replace Napier and lead the program back to a consistent place on the field.
Here's everything to know of Gonzales, Florida's interim coach.
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Who is Billy Gonzales?
Gonzales, a longtime Florida offensive assistant, is in his third separate tenure with the program, and has served as the Gators' receivers coach since 2023.
Gonzales also coached at Florida from 2018-21 as the co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach from 2018-19 and passing-game coordinator and receivers coach from 2020-21. Gonzales served one season as the receivers coach at FAU in 2022 after Dan Mullen was fired before being brought back on staff by Napier in 2023.
"Coach Gonzales has been a valued member of our program for many years, including being a part of multiple championship teams," Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. "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."
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The 54-year-old coach first met Urban Meyer as the receivers coach at Bowling Green from 2001-02. He moved with Meyer to Utah from 2003-04 before following Meyer again to Florida, where he stayed from 2005-09 as receivers coach.
Gonzales was also the receivers coach at Mississippi State under Mullen from 2013-17.
The Thornton, Colorado, native played college football at Colorado State from 1989-92 before starting his career as the receivers coach at MacMurray College, a then-Division III program that has since closed down.
Gonzales has mentored receivers such as Ricky Pearsall , Percy Harvin and Kadarius Toney at Florida, and also mentored Odell Beckham Jr. during his time at LSU.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Billy Gonzales? What to know of Florida interim head coach
