FOOTBALL

Florida football: Gators round out coaching staff with new receivers, tight ends coaches

The Gainesville Sun

Florida Gators wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales talks with a player during Friday Night Lights, the annual high school football showcase hosted by the Florida Gators, held on Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the University of Florida campus, in Gainesville, Fla., July 30 2021.

Florida football has rounded out its coaching staff by adding a familiar face as wide receivers coach and promoting an analyst to tight ends coach.

Billy Gonzales is back for a third tour of duty as UF's wide receivers coach, according to multiple sources. Gonzales, 51, coached receivers at UF from 2005-09 under Urban Meyer and again from 2018-21 under Dan Mullen.

During Gonzales' two stints at Florida, he helped develop future NFL wide receivers Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy and Kadarius Toney. Gonzales coached wide receivers at Florida Atlantic last season.

Russ Callaway to coach tight ends

Russ Calloway has been promoted from a defensive analyst to coach tight ends at Florida. Callaway began working with UF's tight ends last week.

Florida Tight Ends Coach Russ Callaway talks with Florida Gators tight end Dante Zanders (18) Thursday. The University of Florida Gators held a Spring football practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 9, 2023. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]

A former quarterback at Valdosta State, Callaway has experience working with pass catchers, having worked as receivers coach at Murray State from 2013-15 and at Samford from 2015-16. Callaway was promoted to Samford's offensive coordinator from 2017-19.

In 2020, Callaway worked as an offensive analyst at LSU and in 2021 worked as an offensive assistant with the New York Giants.