We are less than a week away from the start of fall camp, which means Gator Country continues breaking down Florida’s 2024 roster.
The Gators return both of their “starting” tight ends from 2023 in Arlis Boardingham and Hayden Hansen, who combined for 915 snaps a season ago. Florida used 12-personnel (two-tight end set) on 30% of their offensive snaps last year, making the tight end position extremely valuable in Billy Napier’s scheme.
Gator Country breaks down Florida’s tight end room ahead of the 2024 season.
Redshirt sophomore Arlis Boardingham
After being sidelined with an injury for the entirety of the 2022 regular season, Arlis Boardingham found significant playing time as a redshirt freshman, hauling in 26 catches for 289 yards and four touchdowns, T-2nd most on the Gators in 2023. Boardingham was named to the Freshman All-American Team by Football Writers Association of America for his efforts in Orange and Blue last season.
Standing at 6’3, 241 pounds, Boardingham is the receiving threat in the tight end room. Florida will line up Boardingham just about anywhere based on personnel, having logged 46 snaps out wide, 77 in the slot, and 137 on the line on passing snaps in 2023.
Boardingham has the ability to be explosive and create yards after the catch; Florida just has to put him in the position to be successful. Boardingham held an average depth of just 5.8 yards and was still able to create five explosive plays, according to SEC Stat Cat.
The California native has to improve on his ball skills in 2024 as he suffered seven drops last season according to SEC Stat Cat, tied for the most on the team. Boardingham also needs to become more versatile regarding run and pass block, something he has been working hard on over the last year. Boardingham held a run block grade of 41.7, which is considered ‘poor’ according to Pro Football Focus.
The potential is there for Boardingham, even if it’s just as a receiving threat. However, improving as a blocker would ultimately help open up Florida’s playbook.
Redshirt sophomore Hayden Hansen
After making no appearances and redshirting in 2022, Hansen led the Gators’ tight end unit in snaps last season with 480 across nine starts. Primarily used as a blocking tight end, Hansen logged nearly 80% of his snaps on the line, hauling in 12 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns in 2023.
Hansen was utilized frequently in pass blocking scenarios last season in an effort to help Florida’s struggling offensive line. In 73 pass blocking snaps, Hansen held a grade of 70.5, the highest amongst non-offensive lineman and 5th highest on the team.
The analytics on the run blocking numbers were below average for both Hansen and Boardingham, which is something they will both need to improve on this season if Florida wants to find more success in the run game. Hansen was the better run blocker of the two, which is why he logs most of his snaps directly outside of the offensive line.
Standing at 6’6.25, 267 pounds, Hansen has worked hard to transform his body and put on significant muscle this offseason.
“I gained about 8.5 pounds of lean muscle and dropped about 5% body fat,” Hansen said during spring camp. “What we’re doing right now is working, especially for me, I feel bigger, stronger, faster, so I mean I’m excited for this season.”
Hansen has also come a long way as a pass catcher and actually impressed in limited opportunities last season, averaging 7.42 yards after the catch, which ranked 6th highest on the team, according to SEC Stat Cat. Drops weren’t an issue for the big-bodied tight end either, but the lack of speed and acceleration make it unlikely he will contribute heavily in the passing attack outside of a five-yard curl or check down option on a flood concept.
Sophomore Tony Livingston
Livingston appeared in seven games as a true freshman, hauling in just one catch for four yards while primarily playing a special teams role. The 6’5, 252-pound tight should step into a more significant role in 2024 with Jonothan Odom and Dante Zanders leaving the program.
Who else could contribute?
Florida welcomed four-star tight end Amir Jackson and Air Force transfer Caleb Rillos to the program this summer. Jackson could make an impact as a receiving threat in certain packages to create a mismatch, but isn’t likely to find significant playing time as a true freshman summer enrollee unless the Gators suffer from injuries at the position. Jackson weighed in at 6’5, 224 pounds.
Rillos is expected to play in four games and then redshirt, so Florida can use him in 2025. Rillos stands at 6’6, 250 pounds.
Redshirt senior Keon Zipperer is back for his final season at UF, but it’s hard to expect him to make much of an impact in 2024. Zipperer didn’t practice during spring camp as he’s still recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in August of 2023. Gator Country will provide a more detailed update on Zipperer during fall camp.
Redshirt freshman Gavin Hill is now at tight end after switching from defensive line in spring camp.
The optimism surrounding the unit is that Florida returns their most productive tight ends from 2023 and both are just redshirt sophomores looking to make a big jump in their second season of playing time. Both Boardingham and Hansen need to become more versatile in their skillsets, which they worked hard on during spring camp. The concern for me is the depth behind Hansen and Boardingham.
Projected Depth Chart
TE1: Arlis Boardingham, Amir Jackson, Keon Zipperer
TE2: Hayden Hansen, Tony Livingston, Gavin Hill