Young TEs Preparing for Elevated Role in Florida's Spring Game

Newly-promoted assistant coach Russ Callaway discusses the emergence of Florida's young tight ends with injuries hampering the position entering the Gators' spring game.

Photos: Hayden Hansen and Arlis Boardingham; Credit: Zach Goodall 

Florida's Orange and Blue game will introduce a handful of new-look positions to Gator Nation. That includes the tight ends, although not for the same reason as other spots on the roster.

The unit's three most experienced contributors — redshirt senior Dante Zanders, senior Keon Zipperer and junior Jonathan Odom — have been shelved during UF's spring camp due to various injuries. Of the trio, only Zanders has a chance to suit up for the intrasquad scrimmage, although his game status is currently uncertain.

Their absences have required underclass contributors to step into significant roles at tight end. Redshirt freshmen Hayden Hansen, Arlis Boardingham and walk-on contributor Scott Isacks III have risen to the occasion with a year in head coach Billy Napier's offensive scheme under their belt, accordingly to newly-minted UF tight ends coach Russ Callaway.

"Hayden, Arlis and Scott have done a tremendous job in year two," Callaway said on Tuesday. "You can see the recall and the ability to go out there and think and play fast ... they've done a lot better than I anticipated.

"We do a great job with our structure at practice with meetings, walk-throughs. It's, before we get on the field and rep one play, you know, they get it probably five times before they get to the practice field. Whether it be a meeting room, a walk-through, a video clip, a playbook picture and then we go execute it."

Hansen and Boardingham, in particular, have filled the two defined tight end roles within the system — the Y and the H, respectively. 

The Y, according to Callaway, tends to be bigger in stature and offers the ability to block from the in-line position. While preferably capable as a receiver, the Y's primary purpose is to move defenders out of the way in the run game.

Hansen fits the bill, standing at 6-foot-6, 259 pounds, and has made significant progress after enrolling with limited experience at the position just over a year ago.

A converted quarterback from Weatherford (Texas) High, Hansen is entering just his fourth season playing tight end. He redshirted his freshman campaign with the Gators and did not appear in a game, learning the ins and outs of the position behind the scenes before being vaulted into a first-team role this spring.

"He's done a tremendous job," Callaway said of Hansen. "He's a very bright young man. Being a quarterback you wouldn't think he'd be as physical as he is. But he is extremely physical, does a really nice job in the run. To be a bigger guy, has smooth and soft hands and can make plays in the pass game. So really, just all the way around with him. 

"He was kind of in a backseat role last year. Now he's been kind of thrust forward and I've been really impressed with Hayden, I really have."

The H, meanwhile, tends to specialize in pass-catching as a smaller and, typically, more athletic tight end than the Y. The H frequently moves around the formation pre-snap to create mismatches for opposing defenses.

That's where the 6-foot-3, 246-pound Boardingham factors in, who claimed to produce a 10.9-second 100-meter dash and 23-foot, 10-inch long jump during his track and field career at Van Nuys (Calif.) Birmingham.

On the field, primarily as a wide receiver at the prep level, Boardingham scored 23 total touchdowns, caught 43 passes for 836 yards and rushed 22 times for 171 yards during his senior season.

"With Arlis, he's extremely gifted. He's a unique player that can do a lot of different things," Callaway suggested. "He can run block, he can pass block, he can run routes, he can catch the ball, he can make plays with the ball in his hand." 

Callaway admitted that, ideally, Boardingham's role would be manned by an upperclassman with ample experience, as seen by Zipperer's utilization as an H in 2022. Boardingham's rise in the practice setting has been even more impressive as a result, Callaway shared.  

"The most improvement, though, has been in the meeting room," Callaway said about Boardingham. "Just from a maturity standpoint on the field he has taken more of a leadership role at a young age. But I think that speaks to the type of person that he is and the type of competitor that he is ... he's able to kind of make the calls in the run game, know that the nuances in the pass game."

Hansen and Boardingham were named to the Orange Team for Florida's spring game on Wednesday night, included in a rough projection of Florida's 2023 first-team offense. Redshirt freshman Andrew Savaiinaea and true freshman Tony Livingston are on the Blue Team, while Isacks will alternate teams throughout the scrimmage.

The experienced contributors will have their place in the lineup upon return from injury, but young members of Florida's tight end room will have a chance to solidify their standing as contenders for meaningful roles this season during Thursday night's scrimmage. They aren't taking the opportunity lightly.

"I feel like it’s a big opportunity for all the guys," Boardingham said. "All of us haven’t really been able to see the field last year, so I feel like this is a big opportunity for us to just show our talents to the world, see how far we’ve come since last year.”

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