Western Carolina quarterback Cole Gonzales is one of the most decorated college football players in our state heading into the new season.
Here’s a list of some of the virtual hardware the junior from Ocala, Fla., has collected thus far with the Catamounts’ opener at NC State looming less than three weeks away:
- Southern Conference preseason Offensive Player of the Year
- FCS Central second-team All-America
- Stats Perform FCS third-team preseason All-America
- Phil Steele FCS third-team All-America and SoCon offensive player of the year
- Walter Payton Award watch list (nation’s top offensive player)
- HERO Sports’ “Best Returning FCS Quarterback” for the SoCon.
The return of Gonzales to Cullowhee after a stellar sophomore campaign has expectations set high for Western Carolina. The Catamounts have been picked third in the top-heavy SoCon, their highest predicted-order-of-finish since 2015.
Here are three more things to know about WCU’s gun-slinging signal caller:
1. He earned the SoCon Sports Media Association’s Roy M. “Legs” Hawley Offensive Player of the Year award a year ago after powering the most prolific offense in FCS. Gonzales, who ranked third nationally in passer efficiency (166.40), completed 204 throws for 2,803 yards and a school-record 28 touchdowns. He threw five TD passes against Charleston Southern (all in the first half), Mercer and East Tennessee State.
2. He started for four years as a high school player in Florida, leading Trinity Catholic to the Class 3A state semifinals as a junior and to regional finals as a senior. He also served as Trinity’s punter, averaging 42.3 yards per boot.
3. His father, Billy Gonzales, is currently the wide receivers coach at the University of Florida under head coach Billy Napier. Cole Gonzales was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, when his father was an assistant coach for the Utah Utes.
What They Are Saying: “Now as a junior, he will play an even more vital role on offense seeing as the team’s other standout on that side of the ball, running back Desmond Reid, is now at Pitt … Retaining Gonzales couldn’t have necessarily been easy with the transfer frenzy the FCS typically sees this time of year. Around the subdivision, quarterbacks that had equally impressive showings last fall left for the FBS … Gonzales, though, stayed and that not only gives WCU an early leg up but also speaks to what (coach Kerwin) Bell is doing with the program.” – Underdog Dynasty
