Arlis Boardingham Emerging as a 'Mismatch' for Florida's Offense

Florida tight end Arlis Boardingham realized a breakout performance on Saturday to elevate the Gators to a convincing homecoming victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Accounting for seven receptions, 99 yards and two scores on the day, the redshirt freshman tight end demonstrated his knack for finding space against Vanderbilt's zone coverage. He provided a notable spark to the Gators' passing attack, which lacked through the previous five weeks of the season.

The outing illustrated his potential as a versatile chess piece for the sputtering Gators' offense to lean on as he grows more comfortable playing at the position.

"Arlis Boardingham really showed the growth that we've been seeing. That guy is very capable. He's a mismatch-type player. Made some really unique plays today," Napier acknowledged when asked about the impact of young pieces offensively to overcome the injuries Florida dealt with on Saturday against Vanderbilt.

"This guy, he's a good run-after-catch player. And I think he's a guy that's capable of running a full route tree. He can play inside and outside. Smart enough to handle it. I think he's learning the fundamentals of the position. For a freshman to be able to do what he did the other day, I think, is impressive."

The breakout performance is a byproduct of Boardingham's development since he enrolled in June 2022.

Florida has yearned for a dynamic pass catcher to emerge in the tight end room throughout Napier's tenure in Gainesville.

Placing a major emphasis on the usage of two tight-end personnel sets for the offensive to function at its most efficient form, the Gators hit the ground running during the 2022 recruiting class in an effort to bring in several pieces at the position.

Boardingham, exclusively a wideout offensively at the prep level with the frame necessary to shift to tight end upon his jump to college, joined the likes of previously committed prospect Tony Livingston and then-Louisiana-Lafayette pledge Hayden Hansen as targets to fill the voids on Florida's roster.

The former two possessed the ability to move across the formation as H tight ends, designed to "usually extend out of the formation [and] create mismatches," according to position coach Russ Callaway this past spring.

But, while Livingston and Hansen had direct ties to the University or the head coach, respectively, the Van Nuys, Calif., native required increased attention as an uncommitted prospect in the late recruiting window of the 2022 cycle as both sides looked to expedite the rapport-building process.

The Gators utilized then-wide receivers coach Keary Colbert as a connection to the West Coast talent following Colbert's six-year stint at USC. The line of communication between the two sides opened with a scholarship offer presented to Boardingham on Dec. 22, 2021.

Boardingham's process came down to Florida and Oregon in Feb. 2022, ultimately resulting in his decision to sign with the Gators on Jan. 9, 2022. He became one of eight signees for Napier and Co. in the late window of the transition cycle.

Upon his cross-country trek to campus, Boardingham garnered high expectations for his early role in the Florida offense. However, an injury hampered him in year one, derailing his true freshman campaign and forcing him to watch from the sideline in all but one contest.

"Well, last year we were really high on him, and he got hurt," Napier said immediately following the team's triumph over the Commodores. "You remember he had the shoulder, had to go through that entire process to get back."

The rehabilitation period overlapped with his transition to the tight-end position as a whole, a point Napier believes would be remiss to ignore amid his recent emergence.

"He's a kid who hasn't played tight end, so he's a receiver, linebacker. He's a track athlete" Napier added. "So, all the things that we're asking him to do are completely new. There's a ton to learn in there. He's a smart kid, but it's almost like playing quarterback to some degree. There's a mental part that I can't tell you — it's challenging. You can't overlook that.

"Then there's a set of fundamentals you have to learn at tight end. It's not like he had any background in that before he showed up, so it was all new. So, mentally learning the system and fundamentally the physical component, all of that was new. It's turned out to be a good evaluation."

Napier, Colbert and former position coach William Peagler were straightforward with Boardingham about the task of adjusting to tight end when they entered his recruiting process.

The head coach equated the spot to playing quarterback, albeit on a smaller scale, in his offense due to the necessity to understand the responsibilities of both a blocker and pass catcher and how each intertwines into the offensive line and wideout positions, respectively.

"Yeah, so when I first talked to coach Napier about playing tight end, or when we were talking about the tight end position, he always said it was a unique position. We have to process everything," Boardingham said about the conversations with Napier pertaining to the anticipated switch.

"Not as much as the QB, but on that same level, in terms of we have to know everything that's going on. Receivers, line, just so we're not making a mistake. Because sometimes, or some plays, and a lot of plays, we're the most important player on the field. If we don't make that block, it's a tackle. If we don't make that catch, fourth down. So, there's a lot of things that go into tight end that maybe some people might miss."

He's embraced that role and seen his work at full health this offseason begin to pay dividends in his most recent outings.

Appearing in five of the Gators' six contests this season, Boardingham's accumulated 13 receptions for 150 yards and three scores.

His first-career touchdown came in Week 4 against Charlotte, the lone trip to the end zone for the Florida offense in the matchup, the same week he assumed a spot in the starting lineup. He finished with two receptions for 31 yards to pair with the score, showcasing his talents as a piece the Gators can move across the formation in the passing game.

"I'm hopeful we'll get more of that out of him in the future," Napier said.

Boardingham's progression will be of note throughout the remainder of the Gators 2023 campaign, specifically as the unit aims to add a prominent downfield passing game to the one-dimensional arsenal currently in use.

In Week 6, Boardingham flashed his ability to serve as a middle-of-the-field target for Mertz both by design and as a safety blanket, similar to how tight end Jake Ferguson was used by Mertz during their time together at Wisconsin. Boardingham's aforementioned mismatch capabilities are similar to Ferguson's, suggesting the potential to highlight the Gators' passing attack in the coming weeks.

The quarterback liked what he saw on Saturday.

"I thought Arlis played great," Mertz said candidly. "I thought he played physical, especially on what was that, like a 3rd and 15. We repped all week. We knew we'd get that zone look. We talked about catch puncture, and he did a great job of catching the ball and puncturing, getting vertical and playing physical."

Boardingham is focused on building on the breakout showing as he finds his legs on the collegiate gridiron. He expressed that growth mindset following the contest, addressing a dropped ball on his first target of the game and second in two weeks rather than solely on the immense success he saw on the day.

"I mean, feels great to score two times. Dropped one, want to get that one back. But it felt great to be out there with the team," Boardingham expressed.

He'll aim to continue taking advantage of the opportunities he receives with his increasing involvement in the Gators' offensive game plan down the stretch of the 2023 season.

"I've definitely seen it increase more just as a situational tight end," Boardingham said. I was going in on third downs initially and just taking advantage of the most opportunities I could get. All the success that I've had is really just opportunity-based and when it comes my way, just try to make the best of what I've got."

Stay tuned to All Gators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports Illustrated on Facebook.

Get your Gators football, basketball, baseball and other sporting events tickets from SI Tickets here.