Western Carolina University

Career Notes: Finished 511-for-803 passing with 6,682 passing yards, the third-most in program history … the 511 completions rank third in WCU history while his 803 attempts rank fifth … His 51 career passing touchdowns ranked second in program history, trailing only Tyrie Adams (64, 2016-19) … Finished with 7,244 yards of total offense (6,682 pass, 562 rush) to rank third in WCU’s career record books … Had six career 300-yard passing games in his WCU career.
 
2024 (Junior): Started eight games at quarterback before being sidelined by a season-ending injury … Completed 61.7 percent of his passes, finishing 205-of-332 with 12 touchdown passes with seven interceptions … His 205 completions were the eighth-most in single-season history, while the 12 TD tosses were tied for 20th … Threw for 2,543 yards, the eighth-best single-season in WCU history and the second-most in the SoCon in 2024 … Passed for 200+ yards seven times and had 300+ three times … Added 212 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 64 attempts … Combined for 2,755 yards of total offense, 11th in single-season history … Passed for a school and SoCon-record 620 yards while matching a career-high with five passing touchdowns in the road win at Furman (Oct. 19) – heh obliterated WCU's 24-year school record for passing yards in a game, usurping David Rivers, who threw for 474 yards against Wofford in 2000, and also eclipsed the SoCon's single-game passing yard record previously held by Samford's Liam Welch, who passed for 582 yards against ETSU in 2021 … Earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Week and Stats Perform FCS National Player of the Week honors following the Furman win … Completed 28-of-38 passes (73.7%) for 294 yards and one touchdown vs. The Citadel (Oct. 12) …  Passed for 340 yards and two touchdowns at Montana (Sept. 21) … Totaled 211 passing yards, two passing TDs, and added a career-high 75 rushing yards on six carries in the season-opener at NC State (8/29) … Was a finalist for the Stats FCS Walter Payton Award, given annually to the national offensive player of the year … Earned first-team All-Southern Conference honors at QB.

2023 (Sophomore): Started all 11 games at quarterback before suffering an injury early in the VMI game … Finished the year 204-for-310 for 2,803 yards passing and a school-record – and NCAA regular-season leading – 28 touchdown passes against just eight interceptions … Ranked third in the NCAA FCS in passer efficiency (166.40) and was tied for 14th overall in passing yards per game at 254.8 yds/gm … Threw for 200 or more yards in nine of the team’s 11 games, eclipsing the 300-yard threshold three times including a career-best 388 passing yards against Mercer (Oct. 28) … Added 54 rushes for 203 yards … Averaged 273.3 yards of total offense per game … Established and matched a career-high with five touchdown passes on three occasions, setting the benchmark with five scores through the air in the first half against Charleston Southern (Sept. 23) while also throwing five TD passes against Mercer and against ETSU (Nov. 11) … Two-time SoCon Offensive Player of the Week and a pair of honorable mentions for the FedEx Ground National Offensive Player of the Week plaudit … … Was a first-team All-Southern Conference media selection and the league’s Roy M. “Legs” Hawley Offensive Player of the Year from the SoCon Sports Media Association, the first for a Catamount since 1984 … Finalist for the Walter Payton Award, finishing a program-best 17th overall in the national vote ... Named to the 2023-24 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

2022 (Freshman): Played in eight games as a true freshman with four starts at quarterback … Completed 102-of-161 passes for 1,336 yards with 11 touchdowns against seven interceptions … Added 147 rushing yards on 43 attempts with a touchdown … Averaged 185.4 yards of total offense per game … Made his collegiate debut in the season-opener at Charleston Southern (Sept. 3) without recording any statistics … Completed his first collegiate pass at Georgia Tech (Sept. 10), finishing 6-of-8 for 38 yards against the Yellow Jackets … Made his first collegiate start in the home win over Presbyterian (Sept. 17), throwing for 276 yards on 19 completions with three TD passes - his first on a five-yard pass to TE Ajay Belanger … Completed a career-best 24 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns in guiding WCU to a win over nationally-ranked Chattanooga (Nov. 19) … Named to the 2022 Southern Conference All-Freshman team on offense ... Named to the 2022-23 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: Pro-style quarterback was a four-year varsity starter at Trinity Catholic HS … Threw for 932 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior, adding 668 yards and five scores on the ground in leading Trinity Catholic to the regional finals of the FHSAA 3A playoffs … Also averaged 42.3 yards per punt … Passed for 1,008 yards while rushing for 300 as a junior, guiding his high school to the Class 3A state semifinals … Also plays baseball as a prep.

Personal: Is the son of Julie and Billy Gonzales … His father is currently an assistant football coach at the University of Florida where he coaches wide receivers … Was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.