Florida Gators name interim head coach after firing Billy Napier with long time assistant taking the role

It’s a smart decision by the Florida Gators.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Sep 6, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators assistant coach for wide receivers Billy Gonzales walks on the field during Gator Walk before a game against the South Florida Bulls at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators have made the difficult decision to fire head coach Billy Napier after a 22-23 start to his career in Gainesville. It wasn’t easy, as Napier did a lot of great things for the program, including rebuilding the infrastructure of the program.

Ultimately, the decision to fire Napier came because he wasn’t able to get wins on Saturdays. Napier is one of the few coaches to be fired during the season, coming after a victory. The biggest flaw in Napier’s coaching on Saturday was the struggle to beat good teams on the road. Napier was 0-14 against ranked teams on the road, and that is unacceptable at a program like Florida.

Florida Gators name longtime assistant interim head coach

With Napier now relieved of his duties, the Gators need an interim head coach to get through the remainder of the season. They named that guy in wide receivers coach, Billy Gonzales.

Gonzales is a long-time assistant who first came to the program with Urban Meyer when he was hired at Florida. His first stint was from 2005-2009, where he was the wide receivers coach. He returned to the Gators with Dan Mullen, who was the offensive coordinator for four seasons under Meyer, left for one season when Napier got hired to coach at Florida Atlantic, but came back the next year and is in his third season back with the Gators.

He is responsible for the majority of talented wide receiver commits that the Gators have had over the last few years, including Tre Wilson, Dallas Wilson, and Vernell Brown III. His experience will be good for the position, and it allows all three coordinators to continue their responsibilities without interruption.

Gonzales will have 13 days to get his team ready for the Cocktail Party against the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville.

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