Scott Stricklin, Billy Gonzales, DJ Lagway address Florida’s future as Gators aim to make most of 2025

Image Credit: Jordan Perez, UAA

While the 2025 season is technically a lost one — by any meaningful metric — there is still plenty the Florida Gators can achieve following the firing of head coach Billy Napier last Sunday. Most notable are athletic director Scott Stricklin embarking on his third coaching search (somehow) as wide receivers assistant Billy Gonzales takes over the interim coach role with all eyes on sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway and whether he will decide to remain with the program next season following the departure of his mentor.

As Gonzales and his reconstructed coaching staff are tasked with attempting to win games, they will be combatting the second half of the nation’s most difficult schedule with two games against top 10 opponents over the next month (vs. No. 5 Georgia, at No. 8 Ole Miss), another top 25 opponent visiting Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Tennessee and a struggling Florida State awaiting in the regular-season finale.

Not only are they attempting to win on the field, they are responsible for the futures of the players they are now leading. The Gators have nearly two handfuls of seniors who could be selected in the 2026 NFL Draft with a variety of juniors similarly considering professional careers. The coaches will also need to do what they can — in the face of great adversity — to try and convince players to stay at Florida while recruiting some of the top prospects in the nation to join a program without a leader in place.

Before that can become the Gators’ focus, though, an accounting of what happened under Napier needed to take place. Let’s dive into what Stricklin, Gonzales and Lagway shared about the past, present and future during Florida’s off week with Georgia awaiting in the distance.

Yes, play calling was an issue

Stricklin admitted this week, for the first time, that he spoke with Napier multiple times about his offensive play calling — and decision to remain in that role — only to be seemingly rebuffed each time.

“We had a lot of conversations related to that. We spent probably hours in conversation. I shared with him that I thought his strengths may be in leading the program and overseeing the bigger picture.,” he explained. “At the end of the day, as an athletic director, you hire head coaches, you give them the authority to make decisions on how they want to run their program, and then you hold them accountable to that. And that’s probably part of the reason why we’re here today.”

Sharing that he never actually gave Napier with an ultimatum – “ADs hire head coaches; they don’t hire assistant coaches” – Stricklin took a stance that future coaches likely want to hear but one that should make fans furious. While, in theory, an AD should not mettle in his coach’s decision making when it comes to personnel, when the issue at hand is the head coach himself, there is no one else to whom that person can answer.

Stricklin could have — and should have — insisted that Napier altered the way his program functioned. If not after Year 1 or even Year 2, certainly after Year 3. This only goes to prove that the blistering ascension of Russ Callaway to offensive coordinator (in name only) was done solely to try and reduce pressure from fans and not to actually improve the operation of the team on the field.

Fool me thrice … shame on … ?

It is extraordinarily rare for a singular AD to have three opportunities at hiring a football coach. That usually only occurs when a long-tenured administrator has made so many successful hires that they get plucked by other institutions or the NFL. In Stricklin’s case, his first hire flamed out and second did not come close to living up to his lofty expectations. When Napier was hired, he was seen as a program changer. While he may never have been as successful as Nick Saban or Dabo Swinney, he was supposed to impact Florida in a similar fashion — a top-down improvement both on and off the field.

While the Gators absolutely took steps forward away from the grass, Napier became the first Florida football coach since World War II to end his career below .500. He’s also the earliest-fired coach (in a season) since Galen Hall in 1989, and that was technically a forced resignation due to NCAA violations.

“Every time you go through these processes, you learn something,” Stricklin said. “… I’m confident that we’ve learned lessons.”

Given the ever-changing college football landscape — College Football Playoff expanding the season, early signing period complicating recruiting, transfer portal making player retention difficult — Stricklin explained why it was necessary for this decision to come before the end of October.

“Time is an asset. That’s going to be beneficial,” he explained. “… We have a little bit more time in this circumstance. … We have a chance to be very thorough.”

Hopefully more thorough than the last search, in which Napier was stated to be Stricklin’s lone legitimate candidate. (This after he swung and missed on Chip Kelly and Scott Frost prior to hiring Dan Mullen in his first go-around at replacing a football coach.)

“We will have a wide variety of candidates. We want people who can win championships at the University of Florida,” he said. “… We want someone who can come in here, be a strong leader and win championships. … It is tricky. There are three current coaches in college football who have won national championships. So, unless one of those three decide that they want to come — and we think they’re the right fit — we’re going to have to make a projection somewhere along the line.”

Another Billy holding the reins

It may have taken 12 years across three stints coaching wide receivers while wearing the orange & blue, but Gonzales has assumed control of the Gators program for the first time. With a longer leash as interim coach than few that have come before him, the longtime assistant shared this week that he spoke with his former boss, Urban Meyer, about everything that comes with leading a team like Florida.

“One of the unique things we talked about is that you’re walking into a situation that’s not the perfect situation, but you want to make sure you’re here for the players,” Gonzales explained. “… We went back and started talking about the two national championships. … We weren’t perfect back then, either. … The one thing that I do know for sure is that these players are resilient. They’re tough, they’re competitors, and they don’t have quit anywhere in their DNA.”

One thing is for sure: Gonzales is motivated.

“Florida is a special place to me. … I take this new role to heart. It means a ton to me,” he said. “I’ve seen what this program can be first-hand … the standards and expectations at the University of Florida and the Gator football program are to win championships, not simply just compete. … Florida is a destination. This program is one of the premier programs and schools in the country.”

Gonzales also stated that he hopes to remain with the Gators no matter who takes over in 2026.

“I’ve been here with three different head coaches. I won two national championships. I’ve seen what it can do,” he said. “… It’s a special place. A goal of mine, obviously, would be to stay here.”

Changes

While Florida will have a new offensive play caller — finally — starting next week, it will not be Callaway taking that responsibility (for a variety of internal reasons, sources tell Only Gators). Rather, quarterbacks coach Ryan O’Hara — who worked with Lagway directly, alongside Napier — will be in the signal caller’s ear deciding what the Gators run on the field.

Gonzales made this decision, in large part, due to the introduction of helmet communications, which he believes has changed the game when it comes to QBs having success at the collegiate level.

“It’s really important that the quarterback is an extension of his teacher. In this particular setting, for the next five games, that’s going to be critical,” he said.

Gonzales is instituting a collaborative approach to offensive game planning with O’Hara making the calls, Callaway leading the passing game preparation and both offensive line coach Rob Sale and running backs coach Jabbar Juluke putting together the rushing plan. He also shared that Steve Spurrier Jr., long an off-field assistant, will move to the sideline working with Lagway as O’Hara will be upstairs in the booth.

“This has been something that allows us to move Coach O’Hara upstairs and then have somebody that’s been communicating, been in the locker room, been on the video iPad with DJ throughout the season anyways,” Gonzales said of Spurrier, who has more than 30 years of assistant coaching experience.

Gonzales’ general goal is to spread out the offense and get the ball more frequently to the Gators’ most electric playmakers when they are in space. While he expressed an appreciation for Napier’s offensive plays, he intimated that the timing and usage of them was what he saw as problematic. As such, expect Florida to operate less out of 12 personnel than it has across the last four seasons.

“Should I Stay or Should I Go?”

No player on the Gators roster will be facing a more difficult decision in a couple months than Lagway, a former five-star prospect who is finally finding his health and athleticism returning after a long offseason dealing with a variety of injuries. While Lagway would not provide any definitive answers about his future this week, he did state his commitment to Florida … at least for now.

“I’m a Florida Gator, man. I’m focused right now. My biggest focus right now is these five games, continuing to better my craft and continuing to develop as a player,” he said. “… This logo means a lot to me. I’m just thankful to be a part of such a great history of being a Florida Gator.”

Lagway said the departure of Napier, who recruited him as a youngster and has long been a family favorite, was extremely difficult, creating an extremely emotional Sunday for all involved. While Lagway stated that he has a great relationship with O’Hara, clearly he will be trying to overcome his feelings without Napier on the sideline.

He insisted that he is not only in a solid place physically but mentally as well.

“I’m feeling good. I’m in a good mind space. I just love playing football,” Lagway said. “You can’t really — these reps are priceless, man. Just playing these games are priceless [for development].”

Two Bits

Stricklin on Florida’s boosters and their influence: “This is a really unique place because our boosters are incredibly supportive, but they also take a lot of pride in how they conduct themselves. I have a lot of encouraging [conversations]. I have a lot of support, but I don’t have anybody reaching over and trying to grab the steering wheel.”

Sophomore linebacker Myles Graham addressed his future at UF: “No, man, [I’m not leaving]. I’m a Gator. I’m just focused on rallying these guys the last five games and keep rolling.”