Billy Gonzales Tabbed Florida’s Wide Receiver Coach - No Place Like Home
Billy Gonzales Tabbed Florida’s Wide Receiver Coach. Gonzales has worked with wide receivers such as Kadarius Toney, Van Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr. and Percy Harvin.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida head football Coach Billy Napier named Billy Gonzales the Gators next wide receiver coach, it was announced Thursday.
Gonzales returns for his third stint with the Gators and brings 20-plus years of coaching experience. He was a coach on Florida's 2006 and 2008 BCS National Championship teams and has 27 players drafted since 1999 with 12 in the first three rounds. Gonzales has worked with notable wide receivers such as Kadarius Toney, Van Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr. and Percy Harvin.
He spent the 2021 season at Florida Atlantic as their wide receivers coach after spending four seasons in the same role for the Gators from 2018-21. In 2020, despite UF losing three receivers to the NFL Draft, the position group continued to shine under Gonzales. Florida receivers combined to catch 189 passes for 2,716 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Kadarius Toney proved to be one of the elite weapons in college football in 2020, culminating in being selected 20th overall in the 2021 draft. He finished fifth in the SEC and 28th among all FBS players in all-purpose yards per game (130.8), in addition to being one of 25 FBS players and one of six SEC players with 12-plus total touchdowns this year (10 receiving, one rushing, one punt return). Toney's 10 touchdown receptions were tied for seventh in the FBS while his 984 receiving yards ranked 13th nationally. In the passing attack, Florida's 46 touchdown passes led the nation by four, marking the fifth time in school history the Gators led the FBS in touchdown passes. UFs 46 touchdown passes were the second-highest season total in school history, only trailing the school record set by the 1995 Gators (48). Florida was the only FBS team featuring six players with at least three receiving touchdowns and was one of four FBS teams featuring six players with more than 20 receptions and 225 receiving yards. The Gators were also one of eight FBS teams featuring seven players with multiple touchdown receptions.
In 2019, Gonzales' mentorship played a crucial role in allowing Florida to reach its second consecutive New Year's Six bowl. The Gators made a name for themselves as one of the best-receiving teams in UF history, recording 33 passing TD's over the course of the season – the most since 2008. Florida's pass offense averaged 300.8 yards per game, ranking 16th nationally.
Florida was the only FBS team featuring eight pass catchers with 20-plus receptions, 250-plus yards, and a touchdown. Nine different players also finished with 150-plus receiving yards, something no Gators team has achieved since at least 1990. Additionally, seven Gators had multiple touchdown receptions for the first time since 2007.
Four senior receivers under Gonzales -- Tyrie Cleveland, Josh Hammond, Van Jefferson, Freddie Swain -- led the talented group of offensive skill players, combining for 2,006 total yards, 17 total touchdowns, and 139 of the team's 317 receptions this year (43.8 percent). Moreover, Swain, Jefferson, Lamical Perine and Kyle Pitts finished the season with at least five receiving touchdowns for the first time since 2008, when four Gators had at least five touchdown catches.
Overall, ten Gators had at least one touchdown catch during the season, and 11 Gators had one in 2018 -- marking the first time since 2000 and 2001 that 10 different Gators caught a touchdown in consecutive seasons.
Under Gonzales' guidance, Swain recorded seven touchdowns in 2019, tying Demarcus Robinson (2014) for the highest single-season total since Riley Cooper had nine touchdown receptions in 2009. Additionally, his 15 career receiving touchdowns made him the first Gator since Cooper (18 from 2006-09) to finish a career with 15-plus receiving touchdowns.
Hammond, another senior standout for Gonzales, accounted for two of the Gators' nine scrimmage plays of 60-plus yards, recording a 76-yard touchdown run at Kentucky and a 65-yard reception to set up the winning touchdown versus Miami. Hammond was one of nine FBS players with a 65-yard run and reception in 2019.
During the 2018 season, Gonzales helped devise game plans each week that allowed 11 different Gators to record a touchdown reception - the most by a UF team since 2009.
Gonzales’s receivers room played a key role in Florida recording 425-plus total yards six times in 2018, tying the 2009 Gators for the most games of over 425 yards in a season since 2008 (eight times). The Gators finished with 350-plus total yards 10 times in 2018, which tied the 2007 and 2009 Gators for the second-most times UF did that in a season since the start of 2005; only the 2008 Gators (12 games) had more in that span.
Over his five seasons (2013-17) at Mississippi State, the Bulldogs recorded 18 100-yard receiving games, including a school-record seven in 2015. Five times in his tenure, MSU posted multiple 100-yard receiving games in the same game, something that had only been done five times in MSU history prior to his arrival.
In addition, the three highest team single-season receiving yard totals were all on Gonzales' watch, and every individual single-season school receiving record was broken under Gonzales. The Bulldogs shattered the school record for total receiving yards for a third straight year in 2015, amassing 4,113. Gonzales arrived in Starkville following a one-year stint as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Illinois.
Prior to coaching the Fighting Illini, Gonzales served as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at LSU. During his time in Baton Rouge, Gonzales helped the Tigers to the 2012 BCS National Championship game and the 2011 SEC Championship. His development of Odell Beckham Jr. and Reuben Randle were apparent during the Tigers' season, as he led them to Freshman All-SEC and All-SEC First Team accolades, respectively. Beckham is now one of the NFL's elites.
Prior to his stint at LSU, Gonzales coached under Urban Meyer at Florida. During his time as wide receivers coach, the Gators' high-octane offense translated to two BCS national championships in 2006 and 2008.
During that span, Gonzales and Florida produced seven All-SEC wide receivers, including first-team selections Chad Jackson (2005), Dallas Baker (2006), Percy Harvin (2007, '08) and Brandon James (2008), and second-team honorees Cornelius Ingram (2007) and Riley Cooper (2009).
During his two seasons (2003-04) at Utah as wide receivers coach and co-special teams coordinator, Gonzales saw the Utes to a 22-2 record and two bowl wins, including a 35-7 thrashing of Pittsburgh in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. The Utes' offense averaged 499.8 yards and 45.3 points per game, each ranking third in the country in their respective categories. Under Gonzales' watch, three Utah receivers were first-team All-Mountain West: tight end Ben Moa (2003), wide receiver Paris Warren (2003) and wide receiver Steve Savoy (2004).
As a special teams guru, Gonzales led Utah to 28.2 yards per kickoff return in 2003, which was good enough for the nation's lead. Utah was also third in the country in net punting yard (40.8) and fifth in kickoff returns during the 2004 season (26.2).
Gonzales was at Bowling Green for the 2001-02 seasons, serving as wide receivers coach and co-recruiting coordinator. The Falcons were 17-6 in his two years at the school and in 2002, Bowling Green was third in the country in scoring averaging 48 points per game. The Falcons offense also averaged 448.9 yards per game during the 2002 season, ranking ninth in the country. Under Gonzales' direction, wide receiver Robert Redd was an All-MAC selection during the coaches' two years at the school and became the school's all-time leader in receptions.
Gonzales got his first full-time coaching position in Division I in 1997 when he accepted a job at Kent State. During his four-year coaching stint with the Golden Flashes, he coached running backs for his opening season followed by three years as the wide receivers coach. As running backs coach, he led Astron Whatley to three All-MAC selections. As wide receivers coach, Gonzales tutored Eugene Baker to a third-team All-America selection as he became the school's all-time leading receiver.
Prior to a full-time coaching job with the Golden Flashes, Gonzales spent two years as a graduate assistant at the school from 1995-96. He earned his master's degree from Kent State in sports administration.
Gonzales broke into the coaching profession in 1994 at MacMurray (Ill.) as wide receivers coach. A four-year letter winner at Colorado State including two years as starting wide receiver, Gonzales helped the Rams to a 9-4 record during the 1990 season and a win over Oregon in the Freedom Bowl. Gonzales and his wife, Julie, have two children, Cole and Caylynn.
(Special to 1st and 10 Florida by Florida Athletics)