LSU Football: Former Receivers Coach to be Illinois Offensive Coordinator

The vacant offensive coordinator spot at the University of Illinois has officially been filled.

Billy Gonzales, former receivers coach and passing coordinator for the LSU Tigers, has agreed to be the offensive play caller for Illinois next season.

But the verdict is still out on Gonzales, as Illinois will be his first crack at a full offensive coordinator gig.

Gonzales and new Illini head coach Tim Beckman both served under Urban Meyer at Bowling Green, so he obviously has had the opportunity to learn from one of the best coaches in the game. Also, those ties from Beckman's past probably had a lot to do with the hire after he was unable to bring his OC at Toledo, Matt Campbell, to Champaign.

Members of Illini nation are sure to be wondering who Billy Gonzales is and what he has done on the collegiate level.

Illinois will be his seventh coaching stop, after previous stints at MacMurry (Ill), Kent State, Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and LSU.

He has coached everything from running backs, to special teams and receivers, and was also the recruiting coordinator at Bowling Green and Florida.

Gonzales played his college ball at Colorado State, graduating in 1994.

He has a wife, Julie, and two children, Cole and Caylynn.

Highlights of his coaching career revolve around the huge games he has coached in.

He coached in seven straight bowl games, two being BCS National Championships as a member of the Gators' coaching staff in '07 and '09 and was obviously involved in this year's championship between LSU and Alabama.

It is also worth noting that seven of his former receivers have gone on to play on Sundays in the NFL.

So enough of his past, the real question that fans of the Orange and Blue have is this: Will he be able to produce as the OC for Illinois?

Unfortunately, there is something about his resume that just doesn't sit right with me.

None of the accolades that his teams have achieved can be attributed to him in particular. One could even make the argument that the players he sent to the pros were more a result of the talent that his big-name schools brought in than his ability to "coach them up."

He has been in the coaching ranks ever since he graduated college in '94, but he has never been the top dog of the offense like he will be at Illinois.

I am also struggling to see what about his offense will be dynamic or unique as he doesn't have any signature schemes or formations for which he is known.

It is also worth noting that LSU was 106th in the FBS in passing this past year. That ranking obviously cannot be contributed solely to Gonzales, but it doesn't do much to support the idea the he can produce as a full time coordinator. 

I, along with the rest of Illini Nations, will be carefully watching what Gonzales does this spring and in Rantoul at the Illini training camp this summer.

He should be able to bring in some strong SEC connections with recruiting, so don't be suprised if you start to see players from Florida, Georgia and Alabama in Illini uniforms in the next couple years. 

I urge Illinois fans out there to keep an open mind with this new coach. Give him your full support and make him feel welcome in the program as we have done with Beckman.

Let's see what he can do before we start judging his coaching ability too strongly. He has the pieces in place to succeed offensively in Champaign, and if he can use the experience he has along with the influences from the high profile coaches of his past, he should be able to help Beckman put this program back on the map.