Hayden Hansen’s path from Gainesville to Norman brings him back into familiar territory this weekend, with the Oklahoma tight end set to line up against the Florida program he helped for three seasons.
A Weatherford, Texas, native, Hansen spent his college years in the Sunshine State after transferring to Florida. He redshirted as a freshman, then appeared in 37 games over three seasons with the Gators, piling up just under 2,000 offensive snaps and five touchdowns.
His biggest stretch in orange and blue came as a junior, when he started all 12 games and finished with 254 receiving yards. That season opened with a strong showing against Long Island on Aug. 30, when Hansen scored his first touchdown of the year, played 59 snaps and caught all three of his targets for 27 yards.
He closed that same season with another touchdown against Florida State, logging 77 snaps and finishing with two receptions for 18 yards.
Hansen’s sophomore year also featured a full-time role, as he started all 13 games and totaled 15 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown.
After Billy Napier was fired, Hansen entered the transfer portal at the end of the 2025 season and landed at Oklahoma, where the Sooners were looking to completely revamp their tight end room. Oklahoma went 10-2 in the regular season before being knocked out of the College Football Playoff by Alabama in the first round.
Through his first eight games with the Sooners, Hansen has played in five and has seven catches for 84 yards and a touchdown.
In Other News...
Florida Takes Another Hit As Oklahoma Game Nears
Floridas injury picture got a little thinner again as the Week 10 SEC availability report came out ahead of the Oklahoma matchup, with seven players listed for the Gators. The biggest change came with wide receiver Vernell Brown III, who was downgraded from questionable to out after being diagnosed with a grade-1 PCL strain, adding another setback to an offense trying to sort through its options.
Defensive lineman Jeramiah McCloud is also unavailable because of a suspension, while Bailey Stockton and Emmanuel Oyebadejo moved in the other direction and were upgraded to probable. Oklahoma enters with its own long list of availability concerns, but Floridas challenge is more immediate: the Gators are still trying to piece together the right lineup as the game approaches, and the final roster picture is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Faces A Late-Season SEC Test That Will Say Plenty
Floridas late-season stretch brings a familiar kind of pressure, with the Gators heading into an SEC matchup against Oklahoma in a game that should tell a lot about where this team stands. The preview points to the usual mix of personnel and game-plan questions that matter this time of year, when every snap can shape postseason positioning and the conference picture around it.
Around the league, the broader weekend slate adds even more context, with Florida State facing Boston College and UCF meeting Kansas in games that also carry meaningful stakes. For Florida, the focus is less on the surrounding noise and more on how the Gators handle a test like this one, because matchups at this stage tend to expose whether a team is built for the next step or still searching for answers. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Golden Sees One Early Warning Sign Despite Floridas Fast Start
Floridas opening win over Miami gave Todd Golden plenty to like, but it also offered an early reminder that a fast start does not mean the work is done. Even after a strong debut, Golden pointed to free throw shooting and the need to be more effective against zone defenses as areas that still need attention, a familiar kind of early-season checkpoint for a team trying to build on its talent and depth.
Golden has made it clear that the Gators are aiming for steady growth, not just one good night, and that mindset matters in a sport where even well-built rosters can be tested quickly. Floridas personnel and coaching staff draw favorable comparisons to Dukes on paper, but college basketball has a way of flattening those advantages fast, which is why the next stretch will say plenty about how real this early momentum is. [Read more 🡒]