Report: Gators TE Retires from Football, Joins Program as Student Coach

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- A Florida Gators walk-on is retiring from football and transitioning to a new role with the program.

Tight end Caleb Rillos, who transferred into the program last season from Air Force, is medically retiring from the sport and transitioning to a role as a student assistant coach, 247 Sports' Graham Hall reported Monday.

Rillos did not appear in a game for the Gators across his two seasons with the program.

Prior to his transfer to Florida, Rillos spent 2020-23 at Air Force, where he was a starter across his last two seasons. In a run-heavy offense, Rillos caught 11 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown in his time with the Falcons.

Joining Florida as a walk-on, Rillos was expected to make an impact as a reserve tight end with a focus on special teams. In spring camp, position mate Hayden Hansen detailed what Rillos brought to the room as well as the personal strides he was making.

"Caleb is a great guy," Hansen said. "Obviously, he’s an Air Force grad, that’s nuts. That’s not easy to do by any means. He came here, got a little banged up and set out last season. Even when he was out, he was still helping out guys. He was setting the tone with how he does things, and I think that Air Force momentum he had kind of carried over, how he studied film. He picked it up pretty fast. He’s been applying it to this spring, too. It’s been fun to watch. He’s made some pretty good catches. After the first day he kind of made a joke, he’s like, ‘I’ve never run nine routes in practice before.’ He caught three balls the first day. ‘That’s a record. You know what, I’ll never complain again.'"

Offensive coordinator Russ Callaway, who coaches the tight ends, emphasized in spring camp the type of person Rillos is off the field.

"He can fly a plane. He can build a house. There’s pretty much nothing he can’t do. He’s the world’s most interesting man in that sense," he said. "... He’s an extremely smart human being. A phenomenal person. He just got engaged this past, I guess, a couple months ago. He took his fiancé Paige on a scavenger hunt, ended up in St. Augustine and they were digging up the ring out of the sand. I got the pictures. My kids come up here and the first person they run to is Caleb, not me. That outta tell you everything you need to know about Caleb. He’s a phenomenal person."

Rillos is now the second Gator this offseason to medically retire from the sport, joining safety Asa Turner. Turner received a seventh year of eligibility from the NCAA before deciding to move on from the sport, head coach Billy Napier confirmed at the start of fall camp.

No. 15 Florida opens the 2025 season on Saturday at home against Long Island. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET with streaming coverage on SEC Network+.

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