Jon Sumrall is reportedly moving on from key member of Billy Napier’s staff, ending his third stint with the Florida Gators

Billy Gonzales won’t be returning to Gainesville to work under his third head coach.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Nov 29, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators interim head coach Billy Gonzales celebrates his team’s victory against the Florida State Seminoles Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

Head coach Jon Sumrall is working hard by coaching both the Florida Gators and Tulane Green Wave through their journey in the College Football Playoff. One of the biggest things he has to figure out is his coaching staff.

So far, Sumrall has found his offensive coordinator in Buster Faulkner and his defensive coordinator in Brad White. He also brought in his director of football operations at Tulane, Jeremiah Cartwright, to Gainesville. The biggest remaining hires with Dave Caldwell already being named the general manager are the position coaches.

Jon Sumrall is not retaining interim head coach Billy Gonzales

All eyes were on interim head coach Billy Gonzales to see if he would be retained as the wide receivers coach. On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos is reporting that Sumrall will not be retaining him on his staff in 2026.

It’s a disappointing development for the Gators, as Gonzales has been a very good coach for the Gators. He even expressed his desire to stay.

“A goal of mine would be, obviously, [to] be able to stay here,” Gonzales said in his introductory press conference as interim head coach. “My first goal is to make sure we put a fantastic group of players on that football field that are going to compete and play for the University of Florida.”

This is the third stint for Gonzales with the Gators, as he was the wide receivers coach for both Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen, not just at Florida, but also for the Utah Utes and Mississippi State Bulldogs. He’s recruited and developed some really good wide receivers, including Percy Harvin and Ricky Pearsall, along with being an elite recruiter at the position.

While the Gators did keep all three wide receivers in the 2026 recruiting class, that doesn’t mean they will keep them moving forward, or the two elite players from last year’s class in Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III.

It’s a tough loss for the Gators, but Sumrall’s first hires give hope that he’s making the correct decision.

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