Billy Napier couldn’t believe what he saw when tight end Hayden Hansen worked out for him at Lousiana.
The 6-foot-6-inch, 256-pounder impressed with his size and work ethic before quickly committing to the Ragin’ Cajuns in August. When Napier left ULL, Hansen followed him. Colorado was his only other Power Five offer, and the likes of Sam Houston, UTSA and Washington State threw their hat into the ring after he decommitted from Lousiana. All it took was an official visit to Florida and an offer to play in the Southeastern Conference to seal the deal.
Hansen is a three-star recruit who is No. 109 at his position, according to the 247Sports Composite, but Napier thinks he has plenty of upside. He started off playing quarterback in high school, so he’s still learning the little things at tight end.
“A couple games into his junior year they moved him to tight end,” Napier said to 247Sports. “He kind of buys into that. The film wasn’t great as a junior. He would tell you that. But he took a big step forward.
“And he ran a 4.79, 4.81 (40-yard dash) for us at UL. And a big man with hands, and I think his ceiling is really high.”
Not only does Hansen have the size and speed to play in college football’s toughest conference, but he also fits Florida’s new scheme as well. Napier ran the ball more often than he passed at Lousiana and he’s trying to establish the same culture quickly at Florida. His scheme requires versatile tight ends and Hansen is just that.
It will likely be years before Napier knows whether he was right about Hansen or not, but he considers the 2022 signee to be one of his staff’s “better evaluations” of the period. Spring practice should give a little more insight into how Hansen is progressing.
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