Tag: Billy Gonzalez

Five-star Florida commit not discouraged by Miami loss

Five-star Florida wide receiver commit Vernell Brown III was in Gainesville for Saturday’s loss to Miami, but he’s still “locked in” with UF.

Florida had several recruits on campus Saturday for the season opener against Miami.

Of course, a 41-17 loss is not what the Gators hoped to do in front of these recruits, but not all of them are focusing on the negatives.

Five-star wide receiver [autotag]Vernell Brown III[/autotag], a legacy commit, told Blake Alderman of Swamp247 that he remains “confident in the University of Florida” after the loss.

“I think everyone sees that we have a lot of improving to do,” Brown said. “There was no question whether or not we needed to improve. I think ultimately, it’s just the first game, so not really too hard on it. Hopefully, look to see improvement as the season progresses.”

A loss is never good for recruiting, but winning isn’t everything when it comes to high schoolers looking to make an impact early. Joining a struggling team often means early playing time, especially for five-star recruits, and Brown honed in the positives that directly impact him.

True freshman quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] got his first taste of the college game, which means he’ll have some experience under his belt when Brown makes it to campus. He also got to see Eugene “Tre” Wilson III in action. Brown’s path to playing time might not be too different from Wilson, who led the team with seven catches on eight targets Saturday.

“It’s good to see,” he said.”At a time they needed it, they got their playmaker (Wilson) the ball. I love to see that, and hopefully, they continue to do that in the future.”

Miami on flip watch for Vernell Brown III

Brown is saying all the right things as the top-ranked player in Florida’s 2025 recruiting class, but the Gators must continue to pitch him if they want to prevent a Miami flip. The Hurricanes were finalists for Brown before his commitment, and the coaching staff is only going to push harder after Saturday’s results.

Florida wide receivers coach [autotag]Billy Gonzalez[/autotag] met briefly with Brown after the game. He didn’t shy away from the offensive deficiencies on the court, instead playing to the trust between the coaching staff and players.

Brown is still “locked in,” with the Gators for now.

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Gators offer blue-chip wide receiver from class of 2026

The Florida Gators are going after one of the top wide receivers in the class of 2026, and he could find his way to campus for a visit this season.

Billy Napier and Florida’s recruiting staff have already earned commitments from a pair of four-star receivers from the class of 2025, so now the focus is shifting to the class of 2026 receivers.

The most recent pass-catcher to reel in an offer from the Gators is [autotag]Jordan Gidron[/autotag] out of Ridge View High in Columbia, South Carolina, accoridng to 247Sports. Florida wide receivers coach [autotag]Billy Gonzalez[/autotag] has been in contact for a few months, and now things are getting serious.

“He asked me to give him a call whenever I was free. So, I called him, and that was when he offered me, “Gidron said. “It had sort of been building up. I’ve gotten recruiting graphics and stuff from them in the past too. They started talking to me back in June.”

The next step is for the Gators to get Gidron on campus, but his schedule is filling up fast. He already plans on attending a Georgia game (vs. Clemson) and two Tennessee games (Alabama, NC State), but now he’s looking to squeeze Florida in.

“Coach Gonzales said he really wants me to get down to a game this season to see Florida and get some time around him. I am going to have to talk with my parents about how that is going to work in my schedule. We are going to try and get something figured out though.”

Recruiting Summary

Gidron is a consensus four-star recruit who is ranked inside the top 100 on every major rankings list in the country. The 247Sports composite puts him at No. 51 overall and No. 7 among receivers in the 2026 class, while the On3 industry ranking has him a bit higher at Nos. 64 and 10 respecitvely.

The On3 recruiting prediction machine gives South Carolina the best odds to land Gidron right now at 40.4%, followed by Auburn (14.5%), Florida State (12.5%) and Alabama (10.4%).

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Florida hosts 4-star Alabama WR on encouraging first visit

The Florida Gators hosted Alabama-based wide receiver Cederian Morgan for the first time this week.

Landing an Alabama-based recruit isn’t the easiest task for Florida with two in-state SEC programs to compete with, but the Gators made decent progress with  Benjamin Russell (Alexander City, Ala.) wide receiver [autotag]Cederian Morgan[/autotag] on Thursday when he visited the Swamp for the first time.

Florida toured Russell around the school and let him sit on some of the team’s summer OTA, according to Blake Alderman of Swamp247.

“I saw a lot of things, and I learned a lot of things,” Morgan said to Alderman. “I love the coaching staff, and how they bond with their players.”

Meeting with position coach [autotag]Billy Gonzalez[/autotag] was big for Morgan. Florida’s wide receiver coach pitched the idea of early playing time with the Gators likely to cycle out some players at the end of the season. Gonzalez’s assistant, Chad Lucas, is from Alabama and spent plenty of time with Morgan.

Morgan is listed at 6-feet-4-inches on 247Sports, which would make him the tallest receiver on Florida’s roster. Even more, three of the four receivers taller than 6-foot are fourth-year players or older.

Auburn and Alabama are the two in-state giants to overcome, but Clemson, Florida State and Missouri have all received mention from Morgan. He’s visiting both in-state schools this weekend.

Recruiting Summary

Morgan is a four-star recruit on both major composite rankings — 247Sports composite and On3 industry ranking — however, On3’s standalone rankings and Rivals both consider him a three-star recruit.

The On3 industry ranking puts him at No. 122 nationally and No. 17 among wide receivers in the class of 2026, while the 247Sportscomposite has him at Nos. 152 and 23, respectively.

247Sports National Recruiting Analyst tom Loy submitted a crystal ball projection in favor of Alabama for Morgan on June 5 with medium (6 out of 10) confidence.

The On3recruiting prediction machine favors Auburn right now, giving the Tigers 39.9% odds to land Morgan. Alabama (18.3%), Clemson (15.7%) and Florida (13.1%) round out the top four.

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Going over Florida DC Austin Armstrong’s contract details

Florida brought in a young, new defensive coordinator after Patrick Toney left for the NFL. Here’s how much Austin Armstrong will be paid.

Billy Napier brought in [autotag]Austin Armstrong[/autotag] to fill the defensive coordinator spot left vacant by [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag], who is now working in the NFL. Armstrong is one of the nation’s youngest defensive coordinators but he doesn’t come cheap.

According to a report from All Gators, Armstrong is set to receive $1,100,000 in his first year at Florida and receive increases of $100,000 in each of the following two seasons. That puts the total value at $3,600,000 over three years.

Armstrong was initially going to serve as Alabama‘s inside linebackers coach this season after two years as Southern Mississippi’s defensive coordinator, but getting the chance to call defensive plays in the SEC is too good to pass up. The money is right, too.

The AllGators report also included the salaries of two new position coaches, tight ends coach [autotag]Russ Callaway[/autotag] and wide receivers coach [autotag]Billy Gonzalez[/autotag]. Callaway is earning $300,000 after moving from his analyst role, and Gonzalez is getting $500,000. Both are on two-year deals through the end of January 2025.

Napier has $7,500,000 to work with for the on-field staff and another $5,000,000 for off-field assistants.

Additionally, a trio of basketball assistants is making a combined $1,120,000. Carlin Hartman, who has a been a key recruiter for the staff on several big-name targets, leads the way with a $565,000 salary, and Korey Gray and Kevin Hovde bring in a reported $365,000 and $190,000, respectively.

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Florida keeping close with four-star WR from South Florida

Florida is climbing up the list for four-star wide receiver Chance Robinson, who had a blast meeting wide receivers coach Billy Gonzalez.

Florida hosted St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) wide receiver [autotag]Chance Robinson[/autotag] over the weekend and made up some serious ground in the recruiting race for him, according to Gators Online.

One highlight of the trip for Robinson was meeting the team’s new wide receivers coach, [autotag]Billy Gonzalez[/autotag]. Unaware of Gonzalez’s history of developing NFL talent, Robinson was pleasantly surprised to learn more about Florida’s new position coach.

“I wasn’t even aware that coming in,” Robinson said of Gonzales’s past. “Now I know that they’ve had guys coming in and out of the league to be great receivers and great men. I didn’t know that Billy G really affected guys like that until he got here. He showed me with how he is that he’s a real guy.”

It sounds like Florida is only gaining ground with Robinson, despite the loss of receiver coach Keary Colbert. Robinson told On3 that he’ll likely return to the Swamp in April for the spring game before coming back for an official visit.

The Gators have earned an extended visit from Robinson, but he hasn’t planned a date for it just yet. The only school that’s scheduled an official visit with him so far is Penn State, which will host Robinson during the first week of June.

The On3 industry ranking has Robinson at No. 131 overall in the class of 2024 and No. 24 among wide receivers. He’s also ranked the 17th-best player in the state, and Billy Napier has put a heavy focus on keeping in-state talent at home.

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Gators to get recently offered WR on campus in late March

The end of the month is filling up with big-name visits.

We are a little more than halfway through March and Florida football’s recruiting efforts continue to roll along as the spring schedule continues to unfurl. [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. have been working hard at getting the top prep prospects on campus to see what the Swamp has to offer them, and recently, another big name added Gainesville to his itinerary.

Four-star wide receiver [autotag]Chance Robinson[/autotag] out of Fort Lauderdale (Florida) St. Thomas Aquinas recently told Gators Online that he plans to pay a visit with the Orange and Blue on March 25 — his first face-to-face meeting with the Gators since receiving an offer from former assistant coach [autotag]Keary Colbert[/autotag] back in January. He previously attended last year’s Orange and Blue Game.

Colbert had been spearheading the efforts to lure the high school junior to Florida before departing for the NFL, leaving running backs quality control coach [autotag]Benedick Hyppolite[/autotag] and assistant receivers coach [autotag]David Doeker[/autotag] in charge until the arrival of wide receivers coach [autotag]Billy Gonzalez[/autotag].

“It’s still good. Everyone from the staff is still reaching out to me. Coach Hyppolite is always working with the receivers and reaching out to me. He’s also a South Florida guy,” Robinson told Gators Online.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound pass-catcher has been considering official visits to see the Georgia Bulldogs, Auburn Tigers and Penn State Nittany Lions while also receiving offers from the Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Miami Hurricanes, LSU Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers and South Carolina Gamecocks, among others.

Robinson is ranked No. 107 overall and No. 19 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 92 and 17, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine currently has the Florida State Seminoles ahead of the pack for his talents with a 37.8% chance of landing him, while the Hurricanes, Gators and Nittany Lions trail behind at 22.4%, 10.1% and 8.4%, respectively.

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Gators get two-time national champion assistant coach back on sidelines

The third time is hopefully the charm for newly hired wide receivers coach Billy Gonzalez.

Florida football found its replacement for departing wide receivers coach [autotag]Keary Colbert[/autotag], who recently departed the collegiate ranks to join the Denver Broncos. The man for the job is none other than former Gators assistant [autotag]Billy Gonzalez[/autotag], who held the same position twice before in the Swamp before returning for a third time, according to Gators Online’s Nick de la Torre.

Gonzalez’s previous stops in Gainesville came under [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag] from 2005-2009 when he was the wide receivers coach for all five years as well as recruiting coordinator from 2008-2009. His second stint with Florida came when [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] took the reins in 2018 and came to a close after the head coach’s dismissal in 2021.

The well-traveled assistant coach also spent time with the LSU Tigers in 2010-11 as the passing game coordinator and receivers coach before heading north for a season as co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach with the Illinois Illini, after which he reconnected with Mullen with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

After leaving Florida, Gonzalez spent the 2022 season with the Florida Atlantic Owls and took a job with the Marshall Thundering Herd as tight ends coach in February before jumping on his latest opportunity with the Orange and Blue.

Funny enough, he replaced his own replacement at his latest gig. My how the turntables.

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