Billy Napier raves about addition of Billy Gonzales on staff

The Florida Gators recently brought in Billy Gonzales to take over as the team’s wide receivers coach. It’s a hire that head coach Billy Napier is very excited about.

During spring ball, Napier raved about Gonzales, explaining what is so exciting about the hire.

“Always respected Billy G,” Billy Napier said. “You know, I was a former receiver coach. Had a ton of respect for Billy G as a young coach, you know, I always thought his guys really played well, played well without the ball, did a good job evaluating and recruiting, and did a good job of — he had talent in his room.”

This will actually be Gonzales’ third stint as an assistant coach at Florida. He was the wide receiver coach under Urban Meyer who helped to produce players like Percy Harvin. He later returned under Dan Mullen, when players like Kadarius Toney shined. On top of that, Gonzales has stops at Utah, LSU, Illinois, and Mississippi State among others.

Napier knows that Gonzales knows Florida well and expected that to help going forward.

“So, Billy G’s been an absolute professional since the day he arrived. He’s a good man, he’s got character. think he cares about the players and he’s certainly an expert at what he does,” Napier said.

“So, and he works in recruiting, so it’s been a great fit and there’s a lot that we can learn from him and his experience here. He’s been here and been a part of some really successful teams and knows this place well.”

Billy Napier says year two is personal at Florida

Year one at Florida was frustrating for Billy Napier and the Florida Gators. However, Napier made it clear that year two is personal for him and he has confidence in what the program is doing.

“Man, we just weren’t very good, you know. We’re going to improve. Year one is a blender man. I mean there’s a lot that comes with it you know and certainly and the two new variables that were thrown into the mix and a transition year, I think contribute as well right? You gotta hire a group, you got to get to know a new group of players, new recruiting footprint, new investors, new leadership, you know, just a lot and certainly new competition,” Napier said.

“I just really have got a lot of confidence in our approach. I think we’ve hired well, and I think we’re all going to get better and that starts with me, right? So you know, it’s personal, if that makes sense. It’s what we do, right? We teach, we coach. We evaluate, we recruit. You know, all those things are part of the job. But the most important part is the leadership component. And, you know, all these things start with me, and anybody that knows me will tell you that we’re gonna get it right.”

The post Billy Napier raves about addition of Billy Gonzales on staff appeared first on On3.