Former Hornet Johnathan Gonzales making an impact for CSU-Pueblo Football

Johnathan Gonzales has turned hard work, determination, and perseverance into a growing career at CSU Pueblo – all while representing the hometown that raised him. 

There is something different about watching one of your own take the field. For Johnathan Gonzales, every Saturday during the fall in Pueblo carries a little more weight. The former Pueblo County Hornet isn’t just playing college football; he’s playing it in the same community where he grew up, in front of many of the people who watched his journey begin. 

Now a redshirt sophomore preparing for his third season with the Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo) Thunderwolves, Gonzales has already experienced the highs and challenges that come with making the jump from high school football to the Division II level. CSU-Pueblo is a powerhouse collegiate football program at the Division II level – claiming the National Championship in 2014 and coming off their 10th Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title in 2025. 

One thing has remained constant for Johnathan: he has been willing to work for whatever comes next. 

Gonzales played football at Pueblo County High School from 2021 through 2024, building a foundation as a multi-sport athlete who contributed on both sides of the football. When he arrived at CSU-Pueblo in the fall of 2024, much of what had made high school football comfortable was gone.

He was playing one sport, on one side of the ball, and starting over at the bottom of a legitimate college program.

“It was a faster pace and I was competing with grown men. Definitely humbling but gave me something to work for.”

For Gonzales, being humbled didn’t mean being discouraged. It gave him another challenge to attack.

That mentality was developed before ever stepping foot onto CSU-Pueblo’s campus. At Pueblo County, Gonzales said his coaches and teammates helped prepare him for the transition, providing the support and accountability that followed him into college.

“My coaches not just in football but every sport I played throughout high school had a huge role in my development and always challenged me to work hard, lead by example and stay humble. They also gave me valuable lessons on and off the field.”

Those words help explain the player Gonzales has become at CSU-Pueblo.

Built to Run with the Pack

Last season, Gonzales’ redshirt-freshman season, provided plenty of evidence that the work was beginning to pay off.

Gonzales played in all 12 games for the Pack and earned five starts at defensive back. He finished the season with 32 total tackles, including 18 solo stops, while adding two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

He also made one of the biggest plays of his season in the opening game, intercepting a pass against South Dakota Mines and returning it 52 yards.

As the season progressed, his production continued. Gonzales recorded three or more tackles in four games, including four tackles in CSU-Pueblo’s playoff game against UT Permian Basin.

As a redshirt-freshman in one of Division two’s most dominant football programs, these statistics tell the story of a player who earned meaningful opportunities and trust from the coaching staff right away.

Now, entering his third overall season, Gonzales is fighting for the starting spot at ‘Mike’ linebacker–one of the most important positions on the defensive side of the ball. 

It’s another opportunity to prove himself, but challenges have become a part of what drives him.

And his growth at CSU-Pueblo has not been limited to football.

Gonzales said the Thunderwolves coaching staff, led by Coach Vigil, has helped shape his approach to life just as much as his approach to the game.

“I’ve grown a lot as a person here and it’s really from what Coach Phillip Vigil and all the other coaches have planted into the team.”

The message is bigger than football.

“We obviously want to be great athletes but they preach to be great men.”

That perspective has become an important part of Gonzales’ journey. He understands that the football career he is working so hard to build will eventually end, making the person he becomes along the way even more important.

“Football will one day end but life after the last snap is what matters.”

That means learning to handle adversity, becoming a better man and continuing to grow in his faith.

Right at Home

When Gonzales was being recruited out of Pueblo County, he assumed continuing his football career would mean leaving Pueblo.

“When I first was getting recruited I thought I had to leave and go to college out of town or out of state.”

Instead, he stayed,

Three years later, he has no regrets.

“Staying here for the last 3 years was the best decision,” Gonzales said. “I get to see the people that I do it for, whether it’s friends, family or coaches that come out and support me.”

CSU-Pueblo’s home football stadium, ‘The Thunderbowl’, is not a foreign place for Gonzales either.

“And the cool part is I get to play in the stadium that I grew up coming to watch games in.”

For a kid from Pueblo, that is a full-circle moment.

Five Siblings, One Big Why

Gonzales is the second oldest of six at home, and he credits his five siblings in shaping him into the person and football player he is today. 

“My siblings have challenged me not only in sports but outside of them as well.”

That competition has helped push him, but it also has given him another reason to set a high standard for himself.

“I want to be the best example for them and set a bar for them to chase while doing the right things.”

Family is at the center of everything. 

“My siblings and family are my WHY, they’re the ones that I do it for and that’s a big part in why I play football.”

The tackles, forced fumbles, and interceptions show what he has accomplished on the field–but the story beyond the field is what makes Gonzales’ journey more compelling than numbers on a stat sheet. 

As CSU-Pueblo prepares for another season, starting with their home opener against the University of Central Missouri on August 27th, Gonzales will take the field with family and a community behind him. 

The redshirt-sophomore from Pueblo County is ready to put it all together for the Pack when the 2026 season kicks off.