TE Hayden Hansen Signs With the Florida Gators

Tight end Hayden Hansen has officially signed with the Florida Gators, joining the 2022 recruiting class.

The Florida Gators jumped on this one late in the recruiting process but were able to secure one of the players head coach Billy Napier had his eyes on for quite some time while at Louisiana.

Tight end Hayden Hansen officially signed with Florida on Wednesday after committing to the program at the end of his visit a couple of weeks ago on Jan. 23. This brings yet another TE to the Florida recruiting class for the 2022 cycle which includes Tony Livingston.

Another one joining the family. ✍️

Welcome to Gator Nation, @HaydenHansen13! #GoGators | #UFuture pic.twitter.com/xqkXJNxLst

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) February 2, 2022

Hansen, 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, is an intriguing take for Napier, bringing a premier run-blocking element to the Florida offense. While it remains to be seen just how much the team will depend on the run game, it feels safe to say that Napier will have at the very least a well-balanced attack with the run game featured.  

Where the Gators turn next will be intriguing to see at their tight end position. They've already lost TE Kemore Gamble, who has elected to spend his final year of eligibility with the UCF Knights via the transfer portal. The team also will see Keon Zipperer enter his senior year.

The Gators have a couple of young tight ends that have yet to make much of an impact thus far in Gage Wilcox and Nick Elksnis, whereas Jonathan Odom has been expected to be one of the team's better tight ends, perhaps due to the fact that his father Jason was an All-American offensive lineman at Florida in the 1990s, although that hasn't exactly come to fruition at this point.

For Hansen, don't be surprised to see him installed within the offense within the first couple of years of his career at Florida. Blocking will be one of the primary objectives on the perimeter of the team's offensive line and using Hansen as that guy could make an impact.

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