Hayden Hansen – Syndication Server

Florida TE Hayden Hansen talks injuries, Texas and team mentality

As Florida prepares for Texas, tight end Hayden Hansen talked injuries and resiliency with the media following the loss of DJ Lagway.

Florida tight end and Texas native [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag]As Florida prepares for Texas, tight end Hayden Hansen talked injuries and resiliency with the media following the loss of [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag]. spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of the Gators’ Week 11 contest with the Longhorns.

He covered a range of topics, including DJ Lagway’s injury and the state of the quarterback room moving forward. Hansen also spoke about the team’s resiliency and mentality following several injuries to key players and starters.

Here is everything Hansen said in his press conference ahead of his homecoming game.

On DJ Lagway’s injury

“It’s unfortunate just knowing how hard everyone in this program works and everyone plays, it’s tough seeing guys like that go down. Obviously, it just happened to Graham (Mertz) a while ago, and to see DJ in that same spot, it’s frustrating. But in this league, as tough as it is, you have to have the next-man-up mentality. That’s what we prepare for and practice every day, day in and day out.”

On potential return for Lagway this year

“It was kind of just like a punch to the chest. I know about as much as you guys know right now, but knowing that there’s a chance he comes back excites me. He’s a great player. I’ve never seen a deep ball like that guy. He’s going to be very special whenever he does come back.

“Godspeed, I hope he comes back fully healthy. We’d love to have him back this year. If not, we’re going to rally around Aidan or Clay or whoever it is, and we’re going to go win some games.”

On third-string QB Aidan Warner taking over

“He plays fearless,” he said. “He came from Yale as a true freshman. I mean, he didn’t get any playing time there. He comes here in the SEC and he finds himself in the Florida-Georgia game. He stepped up, man. He was put in the spotlight. I can’t even imagine what was going through that guy’s head. So, I have a lot of respect for him. He left it all out on the field and we’re going to rally around him this week. We’re going to go out there and compete.”

More on Warner’s play-style

“He always keeps a calm, cool composure. That’s what I respect about him the most. He looks comfortable in the pocket. In my opinion, I think he’s a true pocket passer. He’s going to stand back there as long as he can and deliver accurate throws. But when he when he needs to use his legs, he can.

“It’s just been crazy. I’ve seen how much he’s developed in such a short time, and my confidence has only grown watching him get thrown into that game and him not cracking under pressure because that’s not for everybody.”

On Warner coming from Yale, intelligence

“When I was in high school Yale was recruiting me, and just that whole recruiting process was a little interesting. You know they were a little different from everyone else. They asked different things. They expected different things. They were more like GPA first and stuff like that. So, just knowing that he went through all that, checked all the boxes in the classroom, you’ve got to be bright.

“Talking to him — I’m not in their meeting rooms and whatnot — he picked this playbook up pretty fast. My true freshman year, that was a big reason why I redshirted. Because I wasn’t confident enough to go out there and just execute over and over again. Him being a quarterback, a true freshman, coming in here and picking it up that fast and being able to play, I think that speaks level intelligence”

On team’s resiliency through injuries

“The frustrating part is throughout this season, we’ve proven over and over again that we can hang with the best of the best, but we consistently come up a little short. We’ve just got to finish.

“I think Napier said it best. I felt like in that locker room — I’ve been here for three years — this was the first year where there was complete belief that we could go out there and play with that team, and I think it showed. I think we fought over and over again.

“I think a lot of these meetings that were going on today are just players getting on the same page, taking the younger guys that are going to have bigger roles under their wings. I feel fairly confident. I mean, this team has always had depth. I think everyone knows that. So, I’m excited to see some of these new guys that get their chance. It’s going to be fun to watch.”

What’s your reaction to the injuries piling up?

“You never want to see injuries happen, especially the number we have now. We have the best trainers in the world, so they’re going to go in there, they’re going to get their bodies straight. But you always have to prepare. Like one day Clay Millen, for example, one day you’re not even thinking you’re going to play and all of a sudden you’re up. You’re the second man. Who knows what’s going to happen this week, but you just always have to stay ready in this league.”

More on mentality ahead of Georgia game

“I know we didn’t get the result we wanted to in Tennessee. We came up a little short, but I think that was the turning point. We came off wins against Mississippi State, too, but we were expected to do that.

“They’re probably (ranked) seven at the time going to their place, one of the loudest stadiums I’ve ever been in. There’s no moral victories, but we should have won. (We) didn’t, but we took what we needed to from that game, went and played Kentucky, gave them all we had and almost put 50 on them.

“We saw how they played Georgia. I think that gave us even extra hope, and then going into that game, I just think the way we practice is so physical is, even to this point in the season. It’s a fight in the trenches for Tuesday and Wednesdays, and I think that just rolls over into Georgia.

“We were watching film on their front seven and stuff. Listen, I go toe to toe, head to head with the Jack Pyburn every single day, so there’s not going to be an end in this country that’s going to hit me harder than that dude does.”

More on Jack Pyburn

“I have not seen a motor like him. He’s different. He’s a hard worker. He’s going to give it all for his team. He was just waiting for that green light, and when he got the starting spot, he took off with it.

“I’m proud of him. I came in with him. I used to be his roommate when we first got here and I’ve seen the growth, too. Obviously, he was one of those guys that went down last year with the ACL, and that was unfortunate to see.

“But that was probably one of the quickest turnarounds I’ve probably ever seen with an ACL injury. That’s how bad he wanted to come back. Seeing him excel now I mean I’m really proud of him.”

How do you keep that energy going into the Texas game?

“It just kind of goes back to spot the ball. All the media can talk, the rankings can talk, spot the ball and let’s find out, you know? Why not us? Why can’t we be the top-five team? If we go in there, we play them like we played Georgia, play them like we played Tennessee and we’re going to get the result we want.

“We just have to clean up these little things. We have to raise our play for Aidan. The tight ends, the receivers, the running backs, the O-line, the defense, we all have to come up and help Aidan out. We’re going to take that with a lot of pride.”

On belief in Billy Napier as head coach

“We’re playing for him, and that’s one thing that I’ve seen misconceptions of. This locker room is playing for him and we’re playing hard. There’s belief still. There’s belief that we’re going to go out and we’re going to try to win out, get bowl eligible, win the bowl game and carry over this big momentum into next season.”

What was the turning point?

“I would say it started the first bye week. The first bye week is when Napier kind of divided up the whole team into orange and blue team, and for that whole week we just competed every day. It was a point system. Losers ran at the end. It was just fun.

“We forgot about all the narrative. We forgot about how we started the season and we just came together and competed. All we cared about was winning for our team, and that was kind of the emphasis. Then the second bye week, we did it again and I was like: we’re having fun, we’re going to go out there and we’re going to play like this, play stress-free.

“Ever since then, we’ve just proven it to ourselves that we can hang with the best of the best. We’re going to be a dangerous team moving forward.”

On returning to home state of Texas this week

“Oh man, I can’t wait. It’s my first time going back to Texas playing. You know I’m going to have a little chip on my shoulder. I have a lot of family I haven’t seen in a while down there, so I’m going to go play my butt off.”

Did you grow up a Texas fan?

“I wasn’t a Texas fan growing up, but I do know about Texas fans and they’re crazy, man. I know you saw some of the clips of trash being down on the field. That’s not even the half of it. They’re pretty crazy down there, but I would love nothing more than to go in there and get a win.”

What’s your ticket demand for this game?

“I’ve been scavenging around the locker room getting a lot of tickets. I’m at about 50 right now. Hopefully (that’s enough). I’m going to see. I’m going to guess maybe 65 will be the max.

“I have family down in San Antonio that I haven’t got to see a lot because we missed Thanksgiving and stuff here. So I’m going to get to see them. A lot of my friends and boys that are at college like A&M, they’re all spread out. They’re all going to come together. Obviously, my parents, my sister. So, yeah, it’s going to be a really fun time.”

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Breaking down PFF grades for Florida’s run game against Kentucky

Jadan Baugh ran for five touchdowns in Florida’s win over Kentucky, but what does Pro Football Focus have to say about the Gators run game?

Florida’s big win over Kentucky last weekend was dominant in every way, but it’s the run game that is responsible for all five touchdowns scored by the offense.

True freshmen [autotag]Jadan Baugh[/autotag] and [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] can both run well, which is one of the main reasons Kentucky’s typically stout defense struggled so much. Lagway could run the option at will after establishing the long ball, and the Wildcats didn’t have enough guys in the box to stop it.

The future of the program seems to be in the hands of these two young men, but let’s not forget about the run blockers. Here’s what Pro Football Focus had to say about Florida’s run game on Saturday.

A refresher course on PFF grades can be found at the bottom of this article.

Ball Carriers

Player	Total Snaps	Carries	Offense	Run	Fumble	Run Blocking	YDS	TD	Missed Tackles Forced
Jadan Baugh	37	22	78.6	77.3	77.4	60.0	106	5	2
Ja’Kobi Jackson	17	9	60.9	62.2	72.5	60.0	44	0	1
Cameron Carroll	4	3	52.3	53.9	67.3	—	1	0	0
DJ Lagway (QB)	53	7	83.5	68.9	69.1	60.0	57	0	1

True freshman [autotag]Jadan Baugh[/autotag] stole the show in DJ Lagway’s first SEC start, tying a school record with five touchdowns on the evening. Big throws from Lagway set up several of those scores, but crossing the goalline five times in one night is still an impressive feat.

Baugh earned the top run and fumble grades on the night and finished fifth overall on offense. If you’re wondering why Baugh didn’t finish with a higher grade, a higher elusiveness rating (20.7) might be the culprit. He forced a pair of missed tackles and broke three rushes for 10 or more yards, though.

Baugh performed well running to all sides of the field, but he put up the bulk of his yards hitting the gap between the center and right guard. On four carries to the middle-right, Baugh went for 53 yards, including a chunker for 27 and 18 yards after contact.

The right side (off the right tackle and right end) is a bit of a weak spot. Baugh only gained 13 yards on nine carries to that side of the field. However, three of his touchdowns came between those two gaps.

[autotag]Ja’Kobi Jackson[/autotag] acted as Florida’s No. 2 and his downhill running paid off to the tune of 44 yards on nine carries. However, both his overall and run grades came up short of the 65.0 threshold we look for.

Jackson forced two missed tackles and had a long of 11 yards, but it’s his elusiveness rating (91.4) that stands out the most. That’s well above Baugh’s number despite being on the field for a limited time.

[autotag]Cam Carroll[/autotag] rounds out the running back room for Florida. Carroll suffered a season-ending injury in fall camp last year and never saw the field after transferring from Tulane. Billy Napier let him go out there for the final drive of the game and get three carries.

It doesn’t matter what his numbers were. Seeing Carroll back on the field is the kind of feel-good story you love to see in a blowout win.

Of course, [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] ran the ball a few times too, and Florida fans should expect to see him scramble far more often than Graham Mertz did as the starter. Lagway went for 57 yards on seven carries (8.1 yards per carry), and he finished the game with the second-best run grade of the bunch.

One forced missed tackle and a 25-yard gain are the highlights, but remember that Lagway has to play it safe with little depth behind him.

Run Blocking

Twenty-four of the 25 offensive players for Florida earned a run-blocking grade, so we’ll stick to the offensive linemen and tight ends on the chart below. If a wide receiver had an exceptional day blocking, it will be noted in the final portion of this section.

Player	Total Snaps	Run Snaps	Run Blocking Snaps	Offense	Run Blocking	Zone	Gap
Austin Barber	53	33	33	65.1	58.4	59.2	58.1
Jake Slaughter	53	33	33	75.8	70.5	69.8	64.9
Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson	53	33	33	61.3	56.3	56.4	58.0
Hayden Hansen (TE)	44	29	29	65.5	70.4	68.1	67.7
Knijeah Harris	39	23	23	50.7	49.6	52.4	52.5
Arlis Boardingham (TE)	32	22	22	54.4	57.9	53.1	65.5
Damieon George Jr.	35	20	20	59.8	57.3	67.0	48.8
Bryce Lovett	25	19	19	63.0	60.7	57.2	65.1
Kamryn Waites	19	14	14	64.4	62.9	64.4	59.1
Caden Jones	5	4	4	52.2	53.1	60.0	53.3
Christian Williams	5	4	4	48.5	59.0	59.9	59.5
Hayden Clem	5	4	4	65.1	65.9	63.7	60.1
Scott Isacks III (TE)	5	4	4	57.2	57.8	59.0	58.8

Left Tackle

[autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] held down the left tackle position for most of the game, but he didn’t put up great numbers as a run blocker. A strong pass-blocking performance helped balance out his overall grade, which is typical of Barber through eight weeks. The highest run-blocking grade he’s posted this season is just above 70.0 and most are in the low-60s.

There’s no great cause for concern here, but it should be noted that Barber has come up short of the 60.0 threshold two weeks in a row. He’s also been a bit hobbled, so the bye week should do him good.

Left Guard

[autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] both fell short of the 65.0 threshold we look for, but Harris’ sub-50 mark is concerning. He’s finished with a run-blocking grade below 60 several times this year, but this is his first time dipping below 50.

Waites has been far more consistent, and it might be time to make him the starter there.

Center

[autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] is better at pass blocking than run blocking, but he still put a respectable grade this week. He’s one of four Gators to finish with a run-blocking grade above 70.0 this week, and it’s the first time he’s crossed that threshold since the Samford game.

Hayden Clem got the final drive of the game at center and also had some solid numbers. Slaughter should be headed to the NFL this offseason. Perhaps Clem is a viable option to replace him. We still need to see him play more, though.

Right Guard

[autotag]Damieon George Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] share snaps at right guard, and it’s for a good reason. George is better on zone runs, and Lovett is better on gap runs. It’s impossible to switch them out at will, but Baugh did well running up the middle-right, so there’s no reason to fix something that isn’t broken. Neither reached our 65.0 threshold, though.

Christian Williams got the final drive of the game and put up average numbers. Remember, 60.0 is sort of a baseline for these graders, and Williams was within 1.0 of that figure on just four plays.

Right Tackle

[autotag]Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson[/autotag] has been solid since taking over at right tackle, but a sub-60 run-blocking grade isn’t much to write home about. Florida struggled to get anything going to that side of the line, so it makes sense to see his numbers take a dip.

Caden Jones got the final drive of the game at right tackle. He performed at a replacement level, but it was only for four plays.

Tight Ends

[autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] didn’t do much in the passing game, but he was a strong run blocker for Florida on Saturday. He’s one of those four players to finish with a run-blocking grade above 70, which helped on some of those goallines rushes for touchdowns to the right side.

[autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] didn’t have as good of a day, but it should be noted that he cleared the 65.0 threshold on gap runs. He’s more of a pass-catching tight end, so it’s good to see him finish strong in at least one blocking grade.

Scott Isacks III played the final drive of the game, similar to the backup linemen, but it was another sub-60 performance in limited action.

Wide Receivers

The two highest run-blocking grades on the team came from receivers.

Aidan Mizell, a speedster, led the way with a 79.5 over eight plays as a blocker, and Chimere Dike trails him closely with a 77.2 over 19 snaps. Neither had standout performances as receivers, so it’s a positive to see them impacting the game in other ways.

Understanding PFF grades

The grading scale ranges from minus-2 to plus-2 with increments of 0.5, and players are given a grade on every play they are on the field for. A zero grade means a player did his job, while the two ends of the scale represent extreme success or failure — think red zone interception at the end of a game or a game-winning touchdown pass when applying it to quarterbacks.

There’s a level of subjectivity to it, but each grade is reviewed at least once. Once all plus-minus grades are in, the numbers are converted to a 0-100 scale to easily compare players. There are some loosely defined tiers within the system — 90-100 is elite, 85-89 is Pro Bowl level for NFL players, 70 to 84 is a starter and 60-69 is a backup. Anything 59 and below is considered a replaceable talent.

Since we’re looking at college athletes with a system designed for the pros, we will consider anything above 65.0 as a solid performance.

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Breaking down PFF grades for Florida’s passing game against Kentucky

DJ Lagway looked comfortable in his first SEC start, and Pro Football Focus’ passing grades for Florida in Week 8 seem to back that up.

The dawn of the [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] era at Florida provided an impressive offensive performance all-around, and the Gators looked like a completely different team passing the ball.

Lagway can take deep shots, and his receivers are stretching things out down the field because of it. Putting up 48 points is bound to result in some good grades, and only a handful of players on offense struggled, according to Pro Football Focus.

Let’s take a look at the three main components of Florida’s passing game against Kentucky in Week 8 — passing, receiving and pass blocking.

A refresher course on PFF grades can be found at the bottom of this article.

Quarterbacks

Player	Total Snaps	Dropbacks	Offense	Passing	Run	Fumble	YDS	TD	INT
DJ Lagway	53	20	84.4	76.8	74.6	69.1	259	0	1
Aidan Warner	5	1	87.8	85.9	—	60.3	20	0	0

Lagway completed seven of 14 passes, six of which went for gains of 20 yards or more. His big throw ability was on display all night, with PFF giving him three big-time throws on the night.

He was the fourth-highest-graded offensive player for Florida against Kentucky and lands in the same spot on passing plays. Lagway shined in a clean pocket (89.9) and on plays without where Kentucky did not send a blitzer (88.7), but he struggled when under pressure (58.6) and against the blitz (62.6).

Lagway didn’t attempt a screen pass all night and was steady across the board regardless of play action.

As expected, he was best on deep balls (93.2) and mediocre in the intermediate range between 10-19 yards (64.9). Lagway was even worse on short throws inside the 10 (44.8), but that’s not his game.

[autotag]Aidan Warner[/autotag] only drop backed once but he made a big-time throw for 20 yards to earn some pretty impressive grades. In fact, he was the highest-graded offensive player for Florida on passing plays this week. The small sample size here is going to skew things, but it was a heck of a play.

Receivers

Player	Total Snaps	Targets/Catches	Offense	Receiving	Drop	Fumble	YDS	TD
Elijhah Bader	41	3/3	85.6	85.9	73.1	65.4	148	0
Eugene Wilson III	40	2/1	64.3	64.5	66.7	61.0	40	0
Chimere Dike	36	5/2	78.0	75.0	70.7	70.1	67	0
Ja’Quavion Fraziars	15	2/0	55.8	55.6	—	—	0	0
Taylor Spierto	6	1/1	90.5	85.2	66.7	61.0	20	0
Arlis Boardingham (TE)	32	1/1	54.4	54.0	66.7	61.0	4	0

Slot Receiver

[autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] split time out wide (22 snaps) and in the slot (18) but only received two targets on the night. The low total has to do with the chunk plays by the offense to some degree, but Lagway favored the other top receiver more this week, perhaps due to the matchups in coverage.

Wilson’s grades were very middle-of-the-pack against Kentucky, but a nice 40-yard play saved him from a poor performance. He’s just below that 65.0 threshold we look for in these PFF grade reviews.

Behind Wilson in the slot was Taylor Spierto, who hauled in that 20-yard pass from Warner at the end of the game. His play earned him the top offensive grade on the team, but the same small-sample-size caveat we gave Warner applies here.

[autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] also played nine snaps this week, but he wasn’t targeted at all and only played one passing down. The true freshman should be a weapon down the road for Florida and Lagway, but this wasn’t a big week for him in any way — 67.5 overall, 59.9 on passing plays.

Right Wide Receiver

[autotag]Elijhah Badger[/autotag] had the best day of any Florida receiver catching all three of his deep-ball targets for nearly 150 yards. Badger has always had big-play ability, but Lagway’s cannon for an arm opens up the playbook to call those shots a bit more often.

His overall grade is the best of any regular on the Gators offense this week, and had the top receiving grade as well.

Behind Badger was Ja’Quavion Fraziars, who failed to bring in either of the two targets sent his way. They weren’t drops, so his grade is still around 55, but that’s still well into replacement-level play. Fraziars missed the first five weeks of the season and only played on special teams in Week 7. Let’s give him some time to ramp up.

Left Wide Receiver

[autotag]Chimere Dike[/autotag] was Lagway’s favorite target this week, but he only reeled in two of five passes that came his way. His drop grade suggests that Lagway was simply off target when throwing to him, and he finished with respectable overall and passing grades. He ranked sixth overall on the offensive and fifth on passing plays.

Dike is still getting intermediate passes, which isn’t Lagway’s strong point, but at least he’s not running screens and drags all night anymore. He lines up both out wide and in the slot, so there’s a lot of versatility in his game, similar to Wilson.

Pass Blocking

Player	Total Snaps	Passing Snaps	Pass Blocking Snaps	Offense	Pass Blocking	True Pass Set Blocking	Sacks Allowed	Hurries	Pressures
Austin Barber	53	20	20	65.1	77.8	80.4	0	1	1
Jake Slaughter	53	20	20	75.8	82.3	78.4	0	0	0
Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson	53	20	20	61.3	80.1	68.7	0	1	1
Knijeah Harris	39	16	16	50.7	51.1	78.5	0	0	0
Damieon George Jr.	35	15	15	59.8	73.5	58.4	0	0	0
Hayden Hansen (TE)	44	15	7	65.5	64.5	68.7	0	1	1
Jadan Baugh (RB)	37	13	6	78.6	78.8	72.7	0	0	0
Arlis Boardingham (TE)	32	10	1	54.4	66.8	—	0	0	0
Ja’Kobi Jackson (RB)	17	7	3	60.9	46.7	26.4	0	1	1
Bryce Lovett	25	6	6	63.0	81.7	78.9	0	0	0
Kamryn Waites	5	5	5	64.4	78.2	78.0	0	0	0
Caden Jones	5	1	1	52.2	29.8	29.8	0	1	1
Christian Williams	5	1	1	48.5	72.0	72.0	0	0	0
Hayden Clem	5	1	1	65.1	71.2	71.2	0	0	0

Left Tackle

[autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] is one of three anchors on this offensive line and he was the highest-graded regular while pass blocking this week. He allowed one quarterback hurry which hurts his true-pass-set blocking grade, but not enough to move him below an 80 grade as a pass blocker.

On the final drive, tight ends [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] and [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] split left-tackle duties, so we’ll talk about them here even though the pass blocked throughout the game.

Hansen is usually the better blocker of the two, but Boardingham finished above the 65.0 threshold this week. Neither was outstanding, but Hansen was solid on true-pass sets, while Boardingham was called to block less often. Hansen allowed one pressure, which explains the dip.

Left Guard

[autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and Kamryn Waites split left guard duties this week, with the backup outperforming the starter on passing plays. Harris was just as good on true-pass sets, but he allowed the lone quarterback hit on the evening, which hurt him badly.

Center

The second of three anchors, [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] was Florida’s best pass blocker this week and one of two offensive linemen to crack the top 10 on the team, in terms of overall grades. Slaughter played a clean game with over 20 passing snaps.

Hayden Clem got his first reps on the offensive line this week, seeing the field for five plays overall and one passing play. He was the other top-10 offensive player.

Right Guard

[autotag]Damieon George Jr[/autotag]. and Bryce Lovett split time at right guard, with the former playing the bulk on passing downs. However, Lovett earned the second-highest pass-blocking grade on the team over six plays. Both played a clean game, allowing zero pressures.

Christian Williams got in at right guard on the last drive and earned a solid grade on his one pass-blocking play.

Right Tackle

[autotag]Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson[/autotag] is our final anchor on the offensive line, and he put together another solid performance despite allowing one hurry/pressure. He’s been consistent at right tackle for Florida since taking over the starting job in Week 2. One blemish doesn’t hurt is reputation at all.

Caden Jones played the final drive at right tackle for Florida, but it wasn’t a great game for him. He allowed one hurry/pressure on the lone pass-blocking play he was on the field. playing with a four-touchdown lead is the right time to go through a learning moment, though.

Running Backs

Running backs get pass-blocking grades, too, and contrary to popular belief it matters a lot. Starter Jadan Baugh put together a solid night, earning the fourth-highest pass-blocking grade on the team over six plays.

Ja’Kobi Jackson didn’t have has good of a night, finishing just above Jones thanks to a hurry/pressure.

Understanding PFF grades

Since we’re looking at college athletes with a system designed for the pros, we will consider anything above 65.0 as a solid performance.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Breaking down Week 7 PFF grades for Florida’s passing game vs. Tennessee

Florida’s passing game had good moments and bad moments against Tennessee. Here’s what PFF has to say about the performance.

Florida’s offense struggled against Tennessee, earning a 63.0 overall team grade from Pro Football Focus in the Week 7 loss.

It’s the lowest grade Florida has earned since Week 3 against Texas A&M (62.9) and is only slightly better than the 58.4 earned in Week 1 against Miami.

Gators Wire breaks down PFF grades each week, splitting the offense into two categories — the passing game and the run game. This article is focused on the passing game, further broken down into three elements — passing, receiving and pass blocking.

For those unfamiliar with PFF’s grading system, a refresher course can be found at the bottom of this page. Let’s get into the numbers.

Quarterbacks

Before discussing the quarterbacks, it’s important to note that starter [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] suffered an injury in the second half that will keep him out for the rest of the season. That doesn’t change how PFF grades his performance, but it does change the emphasis normally placed on his play as the starting quarterback. As a result, [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] will be the main focus this week.

Lagway took 39 snaps to Mertz’s 33 and also dropped back 20 times to the starter’s 18. Mertz led statistically, completing 11 of 15 attempts (73.3%) for 125 yards and a touchdown, while Lagway struggled to find the same consistency. The true freshman completed just nine of 17 attempts (52.9%) for 98 yards, a touchdown and one interception.

Mertz ended the game with the third-best overall grade (72.3) on the team, while Lagway finished with the worst (51.8). The trend continues when looking at the passing grades (removing scrambles and designed runs). Mertz was second with a 76.6 and Lagway was second to last on the list with a 53.1 passing grade. Keep in mind that Mertz had a 24.6 fumble grade, which should have lowered his overall.

Frankly, Lagway’s grades are concerning, even if it comes against one of the top defenses in the country. Florida plays four more ranked teams this year, and it’s going to be difficult winning any of those with a quarterback playing at a replacement level.

He wasn’t as sharp in play action (47.3/47.4) and failed to reach the 65.0 threshold while running any passing concept (no play action, screen and no screen). The silver lining is that Lagway earned a 75.2 on deep plays, connecting with Chimere Dike for a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Lagway ranks sixth in the country with a 95.7 passing grade on deep plays this season; however, it’s important to note that he’s only attempted 12 throws beyond 20 yards.

Receivers

Florida’s 60.2 receiving grade against Tennessee is the worst number the Gators’ pass-catchers have put up all season, narrowly beating out a 60.3-grade performance against Texas A&M.

Slot

[autotag]Chimere Dike[/autotag]’s role in Florida’s offense has changed throughout the season. He lines up both in the slot and out wide, typically on the left side. He’s been slot-heavy for the past two games, but Eugene Wilson III’s return to action allows Dike to move out wide a bit more often.

Against Tennessee, Dike played 51 of 72 offensive snaps, lining up in the slot 23 times and out wide 27 times. Pro Football Focus has him listed as a slot receiver, so that’s the designation we’ll go with, but know that Dike is a multi-faceted threat, similar to Ricky Pearsall and Wilson.

Dike led the receivers room with a 64.5 overall offensive grade and a 63.9 receiving grade. He caught four of six targets for 76 yards and the game-tying touchdown mentioned above. A fumble led to a fumble grade of 23.4, hurting the other two grades, but this was a pretty solid performance from Dike in a different role than usual.

Instead of being targeted behind the line of scrimmage and within 10 yards, the majority of Dike’s routes and targets went beyond the first-down marker.

Left WR

It’s hard to pin down [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag]’s position since he plays all over the field on offense. Wilson took the field for 57 of 72 offensive snaps, lining up 29 times out wide and 27 times in the slot — 15 on the left and 14 on the right. PFF calls him a left wide receiver, so that’s what we’ll go with.

He led the team with five catches on eight targets but only collected 35 yards. His average depth of target was only 5.4 yards, which means he’s running a lot of drags and screens.

Wilson’s overall grade of 56.9 and receiving grade of 58.1 aren’t great, but his drop grade of 76.3 was the highest on the team. Hopefully, the second-year Gator is able to find his rhythm and make a bigger impact in the passing game moving forward. His best numbers came in the intermediate range (72.5), so look for Billy Napier to utilize him a bit differently next week.

Right WR

[autotag]Elijhah Badger[/autotag] is also listed as a left wide receiver, but he actually lined up on the right side 30 times to 21 on the left. Badger played 58 of 72 offensive snaps, the most of any Florida receiver this week. He caught two of four targets for 30 yards — his lowest single-game total of the year.

His 57.6 overall grade and 59.4 receiving grade are also season lows, which might have to do with Wilson’s return. Still, it’s surprising to see Badger finish without a deep-ball catch, considering Florida receivers performed best against Tennessee strong safety Andre Turrentine (31.7 coverage grade).

[autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] was the fourth receiver to get snaps, splitting time on either side out wide. He was only targeted once and played all of five snaps when Florida called a passing play. His 55.6 overall grade and 55.5 receiving grade should be taken with a grain of salt.

Tight Ends

Florida’s tight-end tandem of [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] and [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] played a prominent role in the passing game this week. Hansen sees the field more, playing 59 snaps to Boardingham’s 47, but Boardingham played more passing downs (24) than Hansen (19).

Both players hauled in three passes for 40 yards; however, Boardingham scored a touchdown and dropped a pass. As a result of Boardinham’s drop grade (40.2), Hansen finished with a better receiving grade — 76.7 to Boardingham’s 58.7.

Running Backs

It wasn’t a great receiving week for the running backs, but that’s not their primary job. Montrell Johnson Jr. caught one of two targets for eight yards and a 44.1 receiving grade, while Jadan Baugh and Ja’Kobi Jackson both finished the game with negative yardage.

Johnson also got hurt in this game, so let’s just pretend these numbers don’t matter.

Pass Blocking

Florida’s pass-blocking grade is usually the high point of these reviews, but a 76.6 team grade is the second-lowest of the season for the Gators. It’s still a solid number, but there’s no doubt that Florida faced a tough pass rush this week.

As usual, we will go over the offensive line from left to right. Remember, we’re looking at pass-blocking grades only here.

Left Tackle

[autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] played all 72 snaps and 38 pass plays for Florida against Tennessee, earning an overall grade of 56.3 and a pass-blocking grade of 69.4.

Barber didn’t have his best day as a pass-blocker, slipping under the 70.0 threshold to 69.4 but it was still a solid performance. His overall grade suffers from a relatively poor day as a run blocker.

The only sack of the day for Tennessee came against Barber, which also accounts for his lone allowed quarterback pressure.

Left Guard

[autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] played the majority of snaps at left guard for Florida this week, seeing the field for 64 snaps to Bryce Lovett’s eight. Both players performed well, though.

Harris finished second on the team with an overall grade of 72.7 and he was the team’s best pass blocker with an 86.1 grade. It’s the third game in a row that Harris has earned a pass-blocking grade of 84.6 or higher, and he’s approaching a top-50 berth among guards throughout all of Divison I football with 150 or more snaps.

Lovett had the fourth-highest overall grade (69.0) on offense on the team this week and was third among pass blockers (78.1) in his limited time on the field. He’s been consistent all year in that regard, ranking seventh overall (89.6) among guards, regardless of snap count.

Center

[autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] provided his first poor pass-blocking game of the season, earning a 58.7 pass-blocking and a 53.4 overall grade. It’s pretty easy to figure out where things went wrong. Slaughter allowed three pressures, three hurries and one quarterback hit. A penalty late in the game also hurts.

It’s not time to worry about him just yet, though. Slaughter remains a top-10 pass-blocking center overall and Tennessee is a team that typically gets to the quarterback. He’ll need to clean things up against Kentucky next week.

Right Guard

Damieon George Jr. delivered the worst pass-blocking performance (51.5) of the week and was on the field for 32 passing plays. He’s been on a downward spiral recently, dropping from a low-80s average to below the 65.0 threshold.

Allowing three pressures by UCF last week made for a worse score, but it’s hard to defend this kind of play over back-to-back weeks, especially when Kamryn Waites shows more promise as a pass blocker.

Waites has only played 22 passing snaps over the past three games, but he’s consistently above the 75.0 mark, posting a 75.8 this week. Limited sample size is going to play a factor here, but he was also good against Texas A&M (88.3) when he played 22 snaps in one game.

Right Tackle

Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson has been incredibly steady since becoming a starter in Week 2. He’s consistently at or above 80.0 as a pass blocker and is ranked 13th overall among tackles with at least 150 snaps this year.

It was a rough week for the offensive line, but it’s good to see someone stay consistent against a good pass rush.

Understanding PFF grades

Since we’re looking at college athletes with a system designed for the pros, we will consider anything above 65.0 as a solid performance.

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Analyzing PFF grades for Florida’s passing game against UCF

Florida’s passing game put up its best grades of the season against UCF in Week 6. Gators Wire takes a look at the numbers after the win.

Gators Wire returns (a bit later than usual in the week) with the post-game breakdown of Pro Football Focus grades.

Similar to the Mississippi State game, Florida’s offense thrived against UCF en route to a win. The passing game, in particular, was a strong point for the Gators, posting team grades of 85.5 on passing plays and 81.4 in the pass-blocking game.

The receivers didn’t perform as well as last week, dipping from 79.5 as a unit to 69.8, but there were still a few standout players to look at.

Quarterbacks

[autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] (81.6) and [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] (81.5) ranked 23rd and 24th, respectively, among FBS quarterbacks in Week 6 using PFF’s passing grade; however, Mertz once again received the lion’s share of the offensive snaps for Florida, outpacing Lagway in dropbacks, 25-6.

Mertz led all Gators on offense with a 78.1 overall grade, which differs from PFF’s passing grades, while Lagway was seventh out of 21 players with a 70.7 overall.

Each quarterback had one big-time throw, which PFF defines as “a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window.”

Mertz finished the day with 19 completions for 179 yards and a touchdown on 23 attempts. Lagway went 4-for-5 for 50 yards.

The passing breakdown yields some surprising results for Mertz. He was better on medium (91.3) and deep passes (71.7) than he was on throws behind the line of scrimmage (65.9) and within nine yards (63.2). The primary criticism of Mertz coming into the season focused on his inability to throw downfield, but he’s starting to look good in the intermediate range.

Lagway is still the bigger threat beyond 20 yards, though. The true freshman completed his lone deep pass for 37 yards, leading to an 87.4 passing grade on deep throws.

Receivers

Slot

Slot receiver [autotag]Chimere Dike[/autotag] continues to be the position room leader with Eugene Wilson III out. Dike led the receiving corps with an overall grade (of 74.8 and a receiving grade of 72.9. He caught four of his five targets for 88 yards, 22 of which came after the catch. With an average depth of target of 15.6 yards, Dike is a big reason why Mertz is thriving in the intermediate range.

Dike saw the field for 61 of 64 offensive snaps.

Right WR

Florida’s most targeted receiver in Week 6 was true freshman [autotag]Tank Hawkins[/autotag], and he reeled in seven of eight targets for 60 yards. Hawkins has stepped into Wilson’s role of collecting screen passes and running drag routes, and he’s done a nice job adding yards after the catch. More than 70% of his yards this week came after the catch. Hawkins’ overall grade (65.6) and receiving grade (66.3) took a slight hit because of a fumble.

Behind Hawkins were Taylor Spierto and Ja’Quavion Fraziars. Spierto hardly played, seeing the field for just one snap, and Fraziars’ use was also limited to 11 snaps. Hawkins is clearly the top option while Wilson is away, leading the way with 36 snaps.

Fraziars earned a 55.4 overall grade and a 55.8 receiving grade on just one failed target. Spierto earned a 58.3 and 59.6, respectively, in limited action.

Left WR

[autotag]Elijhah Badger[/autotag] is the primary receiver on the left side of Florida’s offense, and he earned a respectable 66.7 overall grade while finishing 0.2 points behind Hawkins with a 66.1 receiving grade.

Badger is the team’s deep threat, made evident by a 25-yard average depth of target. He hauled in three of four targets for 41 yards and a touchdown — the only passing touchdown of the day for Florida.

Marcus Burke saw six snaps (three passing plays) behind Badger, but he wasn’t targeted at all. Burke finished the day with a 57.1 overall grade and a 57.6 grade on passing plays.

Tight Ends

Florida deployed a trio of tight ends against UCF. [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] worked primarily on the right side (44 snaps) and [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] was on the left (41). Scott Isacks III saw the field for three snaps and didn’t factor into the passing game at all.

Hansen was the more effective tight end in the passing game, finishing Week 6 with an overall grade of 58.8 and receiving a grade of 66.3, while reeling in both his targets for 13 yards. However, Hansen struggled as a pass blocker (36.2), hurting his overall grade.

Boardingham saw just one target, catching it for three yards. He was much stronger as a pass blocker (69.0), albeit over two snaps to Hansen’s six. The rest of Boardingham’s grades — an overall of 50.7 and a receiving grade of 52.1 — were well under the replacement-level threshold.

Running backs

[autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. was the only running back targeted by Florida quarterbacks against UCF, but it led to six receptions in as many opportunities for 24 yards. He finished the day with the second-highest overall grade (69.6) and receiving grade (67.9). His pass blocking (76.0) was also strong over three snaps.

Pass Blocking

As usual, we will go over the offensive line from left to right. Remember, we’re looking at pass-blocking grades only here.

Left Tackle

At left tackle is [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag], who played all 64 snaps (35 passing snaps) for Florida. He earned a 72.4 overall grade (fifth-highest) and 70.0 pass-blocking grade, which was the second-lowest figure of any Florida lineman this week. Not great for an anchor left tackle. Barber allowed one pressure all evening, but it led to a quarterback hit, which explains the low(ish) grade.

Left Guard

At left guard, [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and Bryce Lovett split the workload, 47 snaps to 17, respectively. Harris saw the field for 25 passing plays and Lovett came in for 10. Both were excellent against UCF’s paltry pass rush.

Harris finished the day with an 85.1 pass-blocking grade and Lovett earned an 81.1; however, both struggled overall with offensive grades of 62.1 and 48.7, respectively. Still, they were two of the team’s top four pass blockers in Week 6.

Center

[autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] plays every snap at center for Florida, and he’s one of the best pass-blocking linemen in the country. A 79.3 pass-blocking grade is solid, but it’s well below his 84.0 average this year. Similar to Barber, a pressure that led to a hit is the only blemish on his chart and likely the cause of the slight dip.

Right Guard

Starting right guard [autotag]Damieon George Jr[/autotag]. has the only ugly performance of any Florida lineman this week, posting a 47.1 pass-blocking grade. Only tight end Hayden Hansen finished with a lower grade. He’s responsible for three of the line’s five allowed quarterback pressures and is on the hook for all three of the team’s QB hurries.

There have been games where George was one of the strongest pass-blockers on the team, but he’s starting to trend down again. Poor pass blocking was a major reason Florida moved him into the interior over the offseason.

The good news is that [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] saw the field for 10 passing plays (to George’s 25) and put up a strong 81.1 grade as a pass blocker.

Right Tackle

[autotag]Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson[/autotag] played all of Florida’s offensive snaps at right tackle, and he also led the team with an 85.4 pass-blocking grade. After starting the season with a 55.1 off the bench, Crenshaw-Dickson has consistently posted grades of 80-plus, falling short by 0.1 points just once (against Mississippi State).

Understanding PFF grades

Since we’re looking at college athletes with a system designed for the pros, we will consider anything above 65.0 as a solid performance.

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Graham Mertz leads Florida football to big win at Mississippi State

Gators connect on the offensive side of the ball as they get a much-needed road win at Mississippi State.

Florida football (2-2, 1-1 SEC) defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-3, 0-1 SEC) on the road by a score of 45-28 in what seemed like a must-win game for [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his Gators.

The cowbells in Starkville, Mississippi, were quieted almost immediately as Florida lit up the scoreboard with ease.

The Gators had 503 total yards of offense and it was a nice balance between the passing and rushing attack. Florida had 277 yards passing and 226 yards rushing.

Napier continued to utilize both Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway at the quarterback position and they each played well.

Mertz was 19-for-21 passing for 201 yards and three touchdowns while Lagway threw for 76 yards while completing all seven of his passes.

Both Florida quarterbacks were virtually perfect in the first half, combining for just one incompletion. Mertz was 15-for-16 throw the air with 147 yards and three touchdowns while Lagway was 4-for-4 for 49 yards passing.

The Gators got the scoring started thanks to a 3-yard touchdown throw from Mertz to tight end Arlis Boardingham. It was Boardingham’s first touchdown reception of the season.

Florida gets on the board first! pic.twitter.com/nhvDweMWqo

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) September 21, 2024

Mississippi State would answer right back as the Bulldogs’ senior running back Davon Booth rushed up the middle at the goal line for a touchdown.

But Florida did a good job in not letting that score rattle them, as the offense picked apart Mississippi State’s defense all game long.

The Gators scored touchdowns on three straight drives to end the first half.

Marcus Burke with the touchdown grab pic.twitter.com/xGWQ44JJmL

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) September 21, 2024

Mertz threw a 20-yard touchdown to receiver Marcus Burke and a 35-yard touchdown to tight end Hayden Hansen that gave Mertz three passing touchdowns in the first half.

Graham Mertz has caught fire and is throwing dots right now finding Hayden Hansen for his 3rd touchdown pass of the day‼️‼️🐊🐊🐊 @GrahamMertz5 @HaydenHansen89 #Gators pic.twitter.com/bUsXUNMPaf

— Gator Guy Billy (@GatorGuyBilly) September 21, 2024

Ja’Kobi Jackson ran in for a 10-yard touchdown to give Florida a season-high 28 points in the first half.

Mertz was able to keep the scoring going in the second half as he sneaked in the end zone for his fourth touchdown of the afternoon.

It was, for the most part, smooth sailing on the Gators’ offensive side of the ball but the defense was a bit shaky.

The Gators’ defense has to be better, especially with stopping the run.

Florida allowed Mississippi State to have 240 yards on the ground. A lot of that has to do with poor tackling which is inexcusable with this type of team at this point in the season.

The Gators still have some things to clean up on the defensive side of the ball and the coaching staff will have plenty to review with a bye week coming up.

Up next for the Gators

The Gators will be out of action for Week 5 due to their bye week. Florida’s next opponent will be the UCF Knights on Oct. 5. The time is yet to be determined.

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WATCH: Florida Gators RB Montrell Johnson Jr. breaks 71-yard TD

It’s been tough for the Florida Gators to find offense against Miami, but Montrell Johnson Jr. broke a 71-yard run for UF’s first touchdown of the year.

The Florida Gators didn’t have the first half it wanted to against the Miami Hurricanes, but running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. provided a highlight to keep the Orange and Blue in it before halftime.

Johnson had run for 22 yards on five carries before ripping a 71-yarder down the left side for Florida’s first touchdown of the season. The Gators’ offense was “inept” in the first half, according to the halftime crew on ABC, but Johnson’s big run sparked some life back into The Swamp.

Johnson will get the praise because he had the ball in his hands, but the left side of the offensive line, and tight end [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag], deserve some love too. Hansen is Florida’s best blocking tight end and he removed the edge defender from the equation early in the play. [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag], Florida’s starting left tackle, did the same with the inside linemen.

Left guard [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and center [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] did a good job rotating around those guys and shut down the second level of Miami’s defense, allowing Johnson to turn on the burners and find a seam down the edge.

MONTRELL JOHNSON JR. 71 YARDS TO THE HOUSE 🏠🐊 pic.twitter.com/luQspWsxjc

— ESPN (@espn) August 31, 2024

It was a brief moment of hope for Florida before Miami ran a two-minute drill to near perfection and made it a two-score game again before the half.

Aside from Johnson’s run, Florida’s offense hasn’t looked good against its in-state rival. A few missed shots to Elijhah Badger and an inability to convert on third and fourth have the Gators in a deep hole with 30 minutes left on the game clock.

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Gators tight end gets nod for Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List was announced on Wednesday and included Florida Gators football tight end Hayden Hansen.

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List was announced on Wednesday and included Florida football tight end [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag].

The redshirt sophomore out of Weatherford, Texas, earned the nod having played football and graduating from a Texas high school. The other route onto the list would be by currently playing at Texas D1 four-year college — or both.

Hansen appeared in all 12 games for the Gators last season earning nine starts while amassing 12 receptions for 150 yards, including two touchdowns. He scored his first collegiate touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats and hauled in his season-longest catch for 38 yards against the Missouri Tigers.

Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award details

The Award aims to recognize the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community and tenacity.

The watch list will be narrowed down to 16 semifinalists in November and then five finalists in December by selected by broadcasters, commentators, journalists, fans, and previous winners. The finalists will be brought to Tyler, Texas, for The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Banquet scheduled for January 22, 2025.

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Florida Football 2024 Position Preview: Tight Ends

Here’s a look at Florida football’s tight ends room ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Florida’s tight end room has been a bit of a question mark in recent years, but Florida now has depth at the position thanks to recruiting and transfers.

The main stars of the position room should remain the same as last year. [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] and [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] both excelled in different roles last season, so it shouldn’t be hard to get both on the field for significant snaps each game.

The tight end position is unique in that it requires pass-catching ability and blocking ability. Billy Napier loves to run the 12 formation, which usually requires multiple tight ends, making this a vital group to the offense.

Let’s take a look at every tight end on Florida’s roster heading into the regular season. Check out Gators Wire’s other position previews for the 2024 season below.

Starter: No. 8 Arlis Boardingham (R-So.)

Stats:

Year	GP	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	Long	AVG/G
2022	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0.0
2023	12	26	289	11.1	4	25	24.1
Total	13	26	289	11.1	4	25	22.2

Boardingham had a breakout season at Florida last year and emerged as the team’s top pass-catching option at tight end. He was left off the All-SEC Freshman Team last year, but he’s earned a nod to the John Mackey Award Preseason Watchlist, which honors the best tight end in college.

The big question for the former four-star recruit is how much he can improve as a blocker this season. He played receiver in high school, but catching passes is only half the game at the college level. Improving on seven dropped passes is also on the wishlist.

Pro Football Focus gave Boardingham an offensive grade of 57.5 last year based on a 65.8 pass-play grade, 52.3 pass-blocking grade and a 41.7 run-blocking grade.

Starter: No. 89 Hayden Hansen (R-So.)

Stats:

Year	GP	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	Long	AVG/G
2023	12	12	150	12.5	2	38	12.5

Hansen gets the “starter” tag here for two reasons. Florida’s going to use him plenty when they run the ball or need better pass protection than Boardingham can provide, and Billy Napier likes to run a lot of sets with multiple tight ends. He’s going to be on the field often.

Pro Football Focus didn’t grade Hansen much higher than Boardingham as a run-blocker last season (45.5), but he’s a significantly better pass-blocker (70.5). Florida’s offensive line should improve this season, which might open Hansen up for a few more passes, but he’s best served as a de facto lineman whenever possible.

Injured: No. 9 Keon Zipperer (R-Sr.)

Stats:

Year	GP	REC	YDS	TD	Long	REC/G	AVG/C	AVG/G
2019	8	3	31	1	25	0.4	10.3	3.9
2020	12	11	145	2	39	0.9	13.2	12.1
2021	13	11	133	0	30	0.8	12.1	10.2
2022	8	13	177	1	44	1.6	13.6	22.1
Total	41	38	486	4	44	0.9	12.8	11.9

An ACL injury shut down [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] last year, and he’s still working his way back from it. He didn’t participate in spring camp and he appears somewhat limited in fall camp. He probably won’t be ready for the start of the season, but Zipperer could see the field in the second half.

Before the injury, Zipperer was the clear starter coming into the 2023 season. Now it’s about ending his college career on his own terms.

Backups/Reserves: No. 87 Gavin Hill (R-Fr.) and No. 86 Tony Livingston (So.)

Behind Boardingham and Hansen are two second-year players, sophomore [autotag]Tony Livingston[/autotag] and redshirt freshman [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag].

Livington played 114 snaps as a freshman last season after taking a gray shirt in 2022. However, the vast majority of those snaps came on special teams. Of the 26 offensive snaps Livingston took, he lined up in the slot just four times.

Coming out of high school, many expected Livingston to move from tight ends to the offensive line. He’s still in the TE room for now, but expect him to back up Hansen more than Boardingham.

Hill is a former defensive lineman who switched to the tight ends room in spring camp. There’s a learning curve to get over, but Hill could be another inline option at the position for Billy Napier’s offense.

Impact Freshman: No. 7 Amir Jackson (Fr.)

The only scholarship freshman on the roster is former four-star recruit [autotag]Amir Jackson[/autotag] out of Georgia. He might be the second-best pass-catching option on the depth chart, and Napier isn’t afraid to play freshmen who are earning their spots.

Expect Jackson to get snaps this season, even if he ends up redshirting. He’s the future at the position for Florida, and it would be nice to see him in games that DJ Lagway gets significant snaps in.

Walk-Ons: No. 81 Dawson Johnson, No. 82 Caleb Rillos (Sr.) and No. 85 Scott Isacks III (R-So.)

[autotag]Caleb Rillos[/autotag] spent four years at Air Force, appearing in all 26 games (18 starts) for the Falcons over the past two seasons. He reeled in eight catches for 97 yards in 2023 and scored his only touchdown in 2022.

Rillos might be 6-foot-5-inches and 252 pounds, but he says he’s more of a receiving tight end than a blocker. Of course, he improved his blocking greatly in the triple-option offense that Air Force runs. If there’s a walk-on in Florida’s tight ends room that will see the field relatively often, it’s Rillos.

[autotag]Scott Isacks[/autotag] is the only returning walk-on in Florida’s tight ends room. He appeared in seven games for the Gators last season, mostly as a member of the return unit on special teams. Hopefully, he can notch his first career catch in Year 3 with UF.

Freshman [autotag]Dawson Johnson[/autotag] is the final tight end on the roster. He joined the program this summer as a preferred walk-on, so he’s not expected to contribute much outside of practice. Still, this is a 6-foot-3, 225 pounds athlete will a family full of Division I athletes. One of Johnson’s brothers plays for Ohio, and the other two are college lacrosse players.

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Florida football lands commitment from TE Micah Jones

Florida’s recruiting class of 2025 continues to grow. The latest commitment comes from three-star tight end Micah Jones out of Mississippi.

No stranger to the University of Florida after a handful of visits to The Swamp over the past year, Madison Central tight end [autotag]Micah Jones[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Gators on Friday.

An official visit at the beginning of the month put Florida out in front for Jones. Several other SEC programs — Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss — were in the race before the Gators took a commanding lead.

The Bulldogs and Razorbacks got him on campus after the Florida visit, but those trips were more for Jones to guarantee he had no second thoughts.

“I think the program’s going up,” Jones said to On3’s Chad Simmons. “They had a couple of guys that were Freshman All-Americans. As those guys get older, they are going to get better and recruits are going to see that. I feel like Florida is coming up and in the next three-to-four years, Florida can be a contender for an SEC championship.”

Head coach Billy Napier and tight ends coach Russ Callaway played the biggest roles in this commitment. Jones noted a visit from Callaway on the opening day of the contact period helped solidify Florida as his No. 1 program.

Scouting Report

Jones is 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, which is the right frame for a tight end in the SEC. He’ll need to transform some of that weight into muscle, but that’s what strength and conditioning programs are for.

He isn’t the receiver-esque Brock Bowers type, but Jones is a reliable pass-catching option for Florida. Some work on route running will do him much more good than trying to add speed. He can catch balls while in traffic and sneaky off the block. He’s a perfect fit for the two tight end sets Napier likes to run.

Micah Jones’ fit in Florida’s TE room

Jones is coming to Florida at a good time, barring the incoming transfer of a superstar at the position. Florida is set with [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag], [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] and [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] next year, but all three will be draft-eligible in the offseason ahead of Jones’ freshman year.

Even if Boardingham and Hansen return, they are gone by Jones’ second season in Gainesville, opening the door for him to get some serious playing time. His main source of competition will be 2024 signee [autotag]Amir Jackson[/autotag], but Florida runs enough dual-tight end sets for them to both thrive in 2025-26.

Recruiting Summary

Jones is a consensus three-star talent ranked the highest by ESPN at No. 18 among Y-style tight ends in the class of 2025 — although, he was ranked No. 14 a month ago.

The On3 industry ranking considers all four major services and has also dropped him slightly from No. 486 to No. 501 nationally. Jones remains at No. 28 among players at his position on the industry ranking. The 247Sports composite has him at Nos. 556 and 28, respectively.

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